On Our Own Here We Go
by KelWelPower
Summary: Luna and Lincoln Loud are forced out of the Loud house when their drunk father comes home and threatens to kill his only son. All they have is each other in a struggle to survive in the gutter of society. Can they save their family? Will they even survive that long? A rocky coming to age story about a brother and sister trying to survive the cold world and inner demons. (Adopted)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N This is a continuation of story that was written by BlankBlankBlankityMcblank. I suggest you read their story before reading this one. I hope you all enjoy and I hope this story can be as good as the original. First I should warn you that it won't be exactly the same as the original story and there will be some changes to it. But all credit, especially the first few chapters goes to the original creator. I own practically nothing.**

 **On Our Own Here We Go**

 **Prologue**

Two weeks after Lincoln's 12'th birthday

"Mom, what are you doing?" Lincoln asked his mother as he stood with his sisters in the doorway of his parent's bedroom. They watched as she scurried about, taking all her belongings and stuffing them in boxes.

"I'm moving Lincoln." Rita plainly said. That sentence shocked each of of the Loud kids. "Well, where are you moving way to?" Leni sheepishly asked.

"A place that's far, far away from all of you." Rita responded in an irritated tone. The kid's were uncomfortable by the way their mother was acting. It was bad enough having to find out she had been cheating on Lynn Sr. and watching their parents go through a divorce, but now to see that she was moving out to live with a billionaire husband without any concern for how they felt was breaking their hearts.

"Will you ever come back?" Lana asked. Rita turned to her kids with a glare. "No Lana, never am I ever going to return to this place. I've been going insane since the day you were all born. So I'm moving out and I'm never coming back. I don't care how any of you feel, you're all a big mistake to me. From now on, you're all going to live with your pathetic father so I can finally move on and forget about all of you!" She screamed at them and stormed out the door while carrying the boxes with her.

The kids stared at her with tears in their eyes as she walked out. Lincoln wanted to chase after her and beg her to stay but he could only watch as she abandoned him and his sisters. He rushed outside to see her stepping inside a limo with her new husband waiting for her as it began to rain.

"Mom wait!" He screamed as he ran after her. The door to the limo shut and he pressed up against the window to see Rita with who was supposed to be his stepfather. A man with slipped back blonde hair in a grey suit was holding his arm over Rita's shoulder as the two shared a laugh. Lincoln stared at them with a heartbroken look when Rita glanced at him one last time, only to quickly look away.

The limo took off leaving Lincoln there standing in the middle of the street as it was pouring rain. His sisters watched from the house porch. Each of them stared at the limo as it drove away with their mother. They could only agree that from now on, things would never be the same again. They were snapped from there thoughts when they saw their father pull up in the driveway. And he didn't look very well.


	2. Chapter 2

**On Our Own Here We Go**

 _Death Of The Family_

Life had been simple at a time. Survive school, hang out with his friends, keep the peace between his ten siblings. It was the happiest time of his life when he was able to act like the eleven year old he was, but he knew there would be a time he had to grow up and take control of his life.

Lincoln never expected to have to be the man of the house at twelve, though. The man who had once been a caring loving father was no longer. The divorce between Rita and Lynn Sr. awoke a demon within the oldest male in the house. It was a fast downward spiral into alcohol and poverty that caused this evil entity to take over Lincoln's poor father.

Rita wanted nothing to do with Lincoln or any of his siblings. It pierced him like a blade to see how little he meant to his own mother, to see that she turned loose and instead of playing a part in his life, gave Lynn Sr. child support.

It hurt Lincoln all the more that his father even drained the money sent by his mother into gambling and beer to drink away the sorrow. It truly was the death of his family, long gone are the adventures of youth, replaced by going to bed hungry at night due to having to spare food for the younger children.

If any of them complained near Lynn Sr. it was a beating waiting to happen. Bruises cleverly hidden by clothing were the punishment for being, "A fucking brat." Nobody dare spoke out of fear for what a broken drunk man could do to psychologically and physically harm any one of them.

Lincoln does as he knows best: Take one for the team. It's all he could to help his sisters avoid the belt by taking responsibility for the mistakes that their father does not witness. This has consistantly put Lynn Sr. on Lincoln's case, waiting for, "the biggest little shit." to make a mistake so he can follow through with harsh punishments he could imagine.

Even with all that extra punishment Lincoln still failed. He failed to protect his sisters from the worst fate possible; Lynn Sr. during his drunken escapades at the casino often made trips back home to pawn his own children's belongings for cash to gamble and do things Lincoln doesn't even want to think of.

Lisa's lab equipment, Lola's dresses and tiara's, Lori's cellphone, Luna's axe and speakers, Leni's valuable stylish clothing, Lynn's sports gear, Luan's comedy props and Mr. Coconuts, Lucy statue of Edwin, and he even sold Lana's pet frogs to local kids for money just to fucking continue his path of self destruction.

Lincoln knew he had it worse than everyone else since his father stripped his room of all his furniture and sellable assets and replaced it with a small bed that looked like it was straight from the local penitentiary. He claimed it was to help pay the bills, but everyone knew where all that money was going.

Depression was common for Lincoln, after all he failed to stop his father from stripping his sisters of their identities.

The Loud house was no longer loud. It was blanketed by a fearful silence with all inside hoping that this time their father wouldn't come home and subject them to more terrifying punishments. Lincoln wishes that when he goes to sleep he'll wake up tomorrow to the sounds of rock and roll, puns, arguing between the twins, phone conversations, and everything that characterizes what this family used to be.

But when he wakes up in the morning it's to fear. He doesn't want to be afraid anymore, but what choice does he have? Maybe one day he'll get to walk away from this and build a life, maybe he'll get to see his niece's and nephew's or his own children grow up away from this. Lincoln vows that he will never make his kids fear him, and Lincoln Loud **always** holds to his word.

The door to his room begins to crack open as Lincoln pretends to be asleep.

"Dude, are you awake?"

"Luna!"

"Shhhh, we don't want to wake everyone up."

She slowly closes the door and comes into his room, the former rocker has bags underneath her eyes. "I can't even sleep at night anymore-I don't know how much more I can take of this Linc. It's just like all those years ago when I didn't even know who I was, my entire purpose for life is gone 'cause pops has an itch to gamble."

Lincoln gestures for her to sit down on his bed, "I know what you mean, this has taken everything from me but you guys. I had to break things off with Ronnie Anne because I didn't want her to suffer along with us-you did hear that right." he sighs.

The older Loud sat down next to him and put her hand on his shoulder. "I know the feeling, it killed me to break Sam's heart like that, but with crazy like this it doesn't mix well with people ya love. It's...agonizing to watch us burn like this, we were all pretty tight before everything got heavy."

Lincoln nods in grim understanding. "I really don't know how we're gonna get through this. Things will never be the same again. I feel like this is a trap that's gonna loop us around in the same place over and over. Lily still has over a decade left of this to go through. I don't want to leave her, but more of this? It's gonna drive me mad!"

"I'm gonna get us out of this lil bro. I've been writing instead of sleeping and made some new stuff...it'd be better if I had instruments or anything to practice with..." Luna drifted off her chain of thought with a scowl overtaking her features. She was well aware of the fact her pops was a good for nothin' wanker that has turned their whole family into a penniless wreck.

Noticing his sister's anger Lincoln looks on with concern. "Luna are you okay? Do you wanna talk to me about it?"

Luna snaps out of her trance. "Oh sorry Lincoln, just angry...who am I kidding? I'm a wreck, this house is a wreck, our family is in flames. I've listened to so many songs about families goin' down the can and I always thought we were better than that. 'Parently all it took was our parents divorcing to flush us down and out."

"It feels like one big ultimatum from my...comics: the villain gives the hero a choice to decide what is more valuable to them to force the hero to choose. Both usually have drawbacks, and it's kinda like our situation, but the hero usually gets out of it, but this is no comic and there is no good choice. We loose no matter what, it's that simple. We don't control how we lose, but's its gonna happen."

"There has to be some way out, it can't all be bad!"

Lincoln closes his eyes and grimly replies. "I'm the best planner in the family, every course of action we take has a bad ending. If we tell someone it comes at the expense of dad hurting one of us or worse, then we'll go into foster care. If we leave the police will have us back in a day and he'll be furious."

Luna knows this to be true, but there was one last thing they could do. "Lincoln...I don't wanna ask you to do this bro, but what if we...whack pops...for good."

"If we do that then most likely we get split up. Whoever did it will most likely go to trial,if they say it was in self defense than whoever did it is safe, but if they say otherwise it's juvie or prison time."

She thinks, "Yeah...nothing good can come from this...one big hit is all it will take to get us out of this hole. If I make one song that sells I can afford to get us out of here when I turn eighteen, then I can find somewhere safer than this. Pops can deal with jail and rehab on his own, maybe he'll get better. I dunno, but anything to get us out of this place."

Lincoln smiles for the first time in ages. "I know you got it in you, Luna. Just write from the heart and I know you can make something that'll have even Mick Swagger in awe."

Luna laughs, "Thanks bro! I know you always got my back, hopefully you're right. I can go sneak back to my room and get the lyrics to some of my songs. Pops shouldn't be home for a little bit longer, don't ask me how I know either, I'm pretty wiped out in the sleep department but this is the only way out and Pops won't let me write 'cause he's paranoid as 'ell."

Lincoln stretches. "Sure, I'll read it for you, Luna."

Luna stands up and quietly makes her way to the door, she carefully opens it and leaves the door cracked open. She slowly walks into the darkness and into hers and Luan's room. The comedian was in a deep sleep with evident tear streaks on her face. Luna went to her bunk and spotted her special hiding place which was a rip in the mattress that allowed her to slip things in and out of there without looking suspicious. She pulled out a note pad with scribbles of lyrics covering the pages.

She walks back into the hall, quietly closing the door and slipping back into Lincoln's room. She was pretty proud of the stuff she's got so far. The songs she's made all tell an interconnected plot line about the collapse of her family. She'd figured once she released it and got the story public there would be nothing to hide anymore and everything could be fixed...or at least she hoped it would be fixed. What this family was now is survivors, she doubted in a lifetime of healing could fully fix the wounds from the last couple of months.

She handed Lincoln the notepad and let him read it in his head. She would have personally sang it to him, if not for the fact that the walls were still really thin and the last thing anybody needed was to leave the safe haven of sleep early.

Lincoln read the album title, " _Tales from the Broken_." and the first song was titled, " _The Castle Crumbles_." and he read through the lyrics which went into depth on some pretty heavy stuff, obviously talking about some of the events and arguments that lead to their house, the castle to crumble under pressure. It was relatable to Lincoln for the obvious reasons and it had some catch to it. He could help Luna out with the rhyming like he does with Lucy, after all even the best writers could use a little help.

"This is pretty good, you could work a bit on making the rhymes a little more effective but I think you can make this one work with a little fine polish."

She nods and takes in his criticism in stride. Luna knew if she planned on writing a bit the critics would need to be able to like it, and critics love bright polished pieces of work if she knew anything about the music business.

Lincoln flips the page, " _Reign of the Mad King_." he closely reads the lyrics which describe the intimidation used by a "king." Which can be easily related to anyone of power, which in this case was their father. exploiting his unwilling subjects for everything they had, including the souls of his kingdom. It also talks about how the king partakes in the, "choice beverage of evil", which causes the king to enjoy the pain in which he causes.

This one had a lot more work into it and felt like it was more passionate. The message and theme between and two were very clear and if the right audience took note Lincoln was certain that these songs would sell.

He had no doubt of Luna's musical prowess. She definitely studied the art with how much music she listened to and probably did still when she had a chance at school. Lincoln thought about the possibilities, maybe he could do some type of marketing campaign when it was time to reveal all. Maybe he could ask for Mick Swagger's help if they ever cross paths again, to sorta get the album spread around. Even if he thought there was a chance for this to fail, he would give his blood sweat and tears to insure that his sister still at least had a dream to keep her head above the water.

The sound of the front door to the house flinging open stopped all forms of movement in the house as the sound of a pissed off Lynn Sr. stomped in. Luna and Lincoln both froze, if Lynn Sr. came in they were certain to be on the end of a beating from an irate drunk. Heavy footfall came as their father stomped upstairs, he was obviously coming to one of their rooms. Luna slipped underneath Lincoln's bed, hoping that if their father did check in on Lincoln she wouldn't be seen. Lincoln feigned sleep as he tightly shut his eyelids and rolled over.

Their worst fear was realized as stomping came closer and closer to Lincoln's room until the door flew open. The room was pitch black, minus the hall lights that created the silhouette of the drunk. The man stumbled over to Lincoln, who closed his eyes tighter.

Strong hands latched around his small windpipe as Lincoln came to the fastest and most horrifying conclusion he'd ever had: his father was strangling him, "D-Dad, l-let g-" The man yells, the smell of alcohol hit Lincoln in the face. "Shut the fuck up! I lost five grand tonight because of your bad luck, it should be fine though since your whore mom will send me more soon, maybe even give me a kiss at your funeral."

All of a sudden Lynn Sr. lost his grip and smashed head first onto the floor. Luna yelled at him as she ran out from under the bed. "Follow me Linc, hurry!"

He didn't hesitate to listen to Luna s he booked it out before his father could get back up. "If i get my fucking hands on either of you I'll kill you!" Lynn Sr. howls at the two siblings who are retreating out of the house. The yelling had awoken the other girls, but none dared move a muscle out of sheer fear for what could happen, even Lynn Jr. was afraid of what her father was capable of.

The two ran on adrenaline alone as they ran as far as they could from the Loud house. Lincoln calls out to his sister. "Wait Luna follow me!" Luna turned to Lincoln as he gestured out to the trees. "It might be a little spooky, but I built a secret tree house over in there in case a fight got too out of hand. It has some snacks and sleeping bags, we can roll up the ladder so if Da-I mean that monster follows us we can just roll up the ladder, he's gonna be too drunk to do anything about it."

The two walk through the woods in a dazed state. Lincoln pointed the way by pointing to the words "Ace" carved into the sides of the trees. They eventually stumble upon a large structure in the trees with a ladder going up it. Luna marveled at the structure, "Bro how did you do this?" Lincoln chuckled. "I challenged Leni to a tree house blue print making competition, then me, Clyde, Ronnie Anne, and Clyde's dad's helped me work on it since they know how it can get for me. Good thing I never got around to telling-" a tear rolls down his face as Luna gives him a hug. "That was pretty bad back there, I won't make you go back there. We can find a way to make this show rock even though we didn't choose the venue."

Lincoln sniffled and nodded as he walked to the ladder and began his climb up, and Luna followed him up as soon as there was enough space. It was a bit exhilarating to see the night sky and the moon from this high up on one of the tallest trees around. Once they both got inside they immediately saw how spacious the thing was for a tree house. It was easily twice as big as Lincoln's room. "Woah, I'm surprised you didn't spend all the time in here, this is one sick crib! Is that a mini fridge?"

"The Mcbrides said I could only use it in the most dire situations and with-" he chokes back a sob. "With the way things have been I couldn't get away from the house...until tonight." The hurt and terror on Lincoln's face made Luna feel like she'd just been punched in the gut. "Look, the old man is a burn who gave up on family. That strips him the right to call himself family once he gives up. I haven't given up on you or our siblings, neither have you, right?"

Lincoln nods. "Yes..." Luna smiles. "See? As long as we got each other and our family it'll be okay...just watch."

The boy yawns, "I think it's time for bed littler bro." He shakes his head 'no'. "Um, Luna...do you mind if I get something to eat?" he says with his thumb pointing to the mini fridge. "Sure dude, get me a drink while you're at it. I'm kinda thirsty."

He pulls out an ice cream sandwich from the freezer part and a soda from the fridge. He tossed Luna the soda and she opened it as soon as she caught it and took a big sip. "So much better." She takes notice of what Lincoln has and reconsiders not asking for one. "Actually, Linc toss me a 'wich. I haven't had one of those in forever!"

Her optimism cheers Lincoln up slightly as he does as asked and tosses Luna a sandwich. The rocker rips the wrapper off and takes a bite. "So good, you feelin any better, Bro?" Lincoln nods cautiously. "We gotta get out of here tomorrow. I-I can't be this close to him, not after this."

Luna thinks things through, "I think we should stay here and plan things out. We have some food and protection from the outside, plus if there is any reason to worry we can just pull the ladder up. He's gonna be dealing with all that alcohol tomorrow. He's gonna be in no position to hurt us, especially after he face planted."

A small smirk graced both siblings at the memory of Lynn Sr. hitting his head on the floor after Luna pulled his legs out from under him. The two finished eating and speaking as they both grew more tired and got into the sleeping bags, Luna's was a little small but it didn't matter so long as her and Lincoln were safe from the man they both once loved.

"It'll be alright lil bro, I'll keep you safe..." Luna says in a sleepy tone while looking at the sleeping face of her brother.

"It's a promise."


	3. Chapter 3

**On Our Own Here We Go**

 _Home is where your heart is_

The crisp wind blew through the hair of the bother and sister walking the lonely sidewalk. Both shiver and hold their arms to their body to warm them up. The cold Michigan night was brutal for Lincoln and Luna due mostly to the fact they had no winter clothing.

Inwardly Luna had spent the entire walk across through the woods and the town cursing her father with every rancid curse that she could think of, she even had enough time to invent more words to describe her anger for the man who turned her dear brother into a traumatized mess, and to think if Luna wasn't there...he'd be a dead man even is she had to spend the rest of her life in prison.

Time to think at the tree house had given the two a chance to plan things out. Lincoln's fear made things a bit difficult since he was unreasonable about finding a place to stay. He was deathly afraid of running into their father once more, the poor boy wanted to leave the state. Luna knew they couldn't do that because they actually had friends here and if they didn't go to school the cops would be on top of them and send them back.

He had spaced out after that and it made Luna seriously worry for him. Lincoln was all she had! To watch his anxiety take such a strong hold of him, it caused an unusual concern to stir within her. Could she get him through this? She was willing to do anything for her bro, but could she really help him? How could she manage to help Lincoln through a fear she herself has for her father. Luna managed to put on a brave face for her brother, after all, if they both were lost in fear they wouldn't be able to make it.

She was resolved that staying with Sam was the best option. She always helped Luna think clearly, the memories of their relationship was the match that ignited the passion to channel her inner emotions to write her songs, they also offered a safe place in her darkest times when she questioned if life could ever get better. Logically it also made sense for their situation until she was an adult and be more proactive in saving her sisters.

Sam's house was on the edge of both Luna and Lincoln's school districts. They'd be able to go about life as normal. Maybe she'd have another chance to apologize and set things right with Sam, it was worse than anything Lynn Sr. could do with his fists or that damn belt when she had to break up. It was the smart decision, but her heart hadn't quite forgave Luna for it. Before Luna was quite resigned to this sad fact that made the black hole that was their father and the shit at home that sucked up any trace of love or happiness.

Lincoln's voice snaps Luna out of her thoughts, "H-How m-much f-further? I'm freezing!" she breathes in deeply and speaks. "Just a little further, Linc. We're on the right street. It's the house over there!" Luna points her finger to the large house at the end of the culdesac.

Lincoln immediately brightened up; the journey was nearly over and he could really use a couple minutes inside a heated building. Lincoln looked to Luna, "Wanna race? It'll warm us up-never-"

Luna smirks back to him, "Sounds good Linc, don't be chicken and back out 'cause you know you won't win!" she exclaims in a playful tone. It was good to see some of Lincoln's confidence come back, it was like before everything went bad. It was certainly better than fear, and it could only get better from here right?

"I'll count down, bro! 3...2...1!"

The two began to run down the sidewalk without a care in the world who might see them. Lincoln was slightly ahead due to his lighter body and the fact Luna was holding out somewhat. Any bit of confidence was good right.

They ended in the driveway with both siblings chuckling and gasping for air. Lincoln won and the boy was taking his moment of, 'fame,' and Luna went along. "Aw man, you got me Linc. Didn't think you had it in ya."

He smiles and takes a large breathe of air, "Yeah, whoa that was good for stretching my legs. Haven't done any like-" his sister interrupts him. "We should knock the door. Don't want anyone mistakin' us for wanting trouble."

Lincoln nods and follows Luna up the small stone steps up to the door, Luna lightly knocks three times. They stand patiently for someone to answer. The sounds of speaking are audible from the front as someone comes to the door.

The door opens and a blonde woman a few inches taller than Luna was standing in front of them. "Luna! It's been a while since you've come over. Oh you're shivering!" She looked to Lincoln, "You must be Lincoln, your sister told me about you. Why are you kids out in the terrible cold without any winter clothing, come on in, I insist!" Sam's mom holds the door open for the two to come inside the warm house, an offer in which the two siblings take her up on almost instantly.

The inside of the house was neatly kept. Neither Luna or Lincoln could tell if a spec of dust had been in this house within the past decade. A small bench was right next to the door against the left of the hall way, the rest of the furniture was what most people would expect, a couch, a TV, a table, all were in the living room which is off the right of the door.

"Luna, Lincoln, are you two hungry? We just sat down to eat but we could get you two a plate if you want."

Luna nods, "Thanks Mrs. S. Linc and me are starvin'!" the brother and sister sit down at the bench and take their shoes off. They slide the shoes underneath the bench with the other pairs that are there which consists of a pair of working shoes, snow boots for everyone, and a bunch of shoes that cover the extremes of the color spectrum from black to neon. Luna knew that those belonged to Sam, but one pair was sticking out like a sore thumb.

The shoes in question looked the part of Sam's style but they were much too big, and Luna knew that Sam had no older brother or guy cousins. " _Quit worrying, it's fine. I have more important things than this._ " She glances to her brother, the real reason she was here. Old relationships were trivial when compared to Lincoln's survival and well being.

Luna leaned over to Lincoln and whispered. "Follow me, dude, Sam's folks can be uptight but once ya get to 'em they can be cool. Just use your manners."

They walk down the hall into a second living space with a sliding door that lead into a modest backyard and a large dining room and kitchen that were separated by the counter with an open walkway. Sam's father and Sam sat at the table with a full plate in front of an unoccupied chair. Luna gulped, this was nothing right? " _Who am I trying to trick? This looks bad, it may not be what it seems, maybe it's just a friend staying over. Don't overreact!"_

"Luna?" Sam blurts out, and at this moment Luna knew she was in for the most awkward moment of her life when she tried to explain why they have had no contact outside of a few loose conversations at school that were mostly out of necessity.

She pictures it out in her head. " _Hey sorry I broke your heart and ruined our friendship 'cause Pop's is a asshole who beats us all and just tried to murder my brother. Mind if we stay on your couch till I turn 18?"_

Luna meekly squeaks out, "Hey, Sam." Lincoln who had been silent up to this point cleared his throat and spoke. "Hello."

The two teenagers were transfixed on each other and Sam offered no reply to Lincoln, but Sam's father did. "Ah, Luna! It's been awhile since you came over. This is Lincoln with you I presume?" He stood up and extended his hand to Lincoln, but the boy merely closed his eyes and flinched before realizing he wasn't about to be hit. "I-I'm sorry."

He awkwardly shook hands with Sam's father, who after turned his attention to Luna. "This is informal, but I guess it's cultured in it's own way..." he held his fist out, which once more had Lincoln anxious. Luna removed her gaze from Sam and fist bumped her ex-girlfriends father.

"Luna, Lincoln. Your plates are on the counter, you can come get them and pick a seat."

The two did as asked and the food looked absolutely tantalizing. The food their father served was even worse than when he actually gave a damn. It was a common occurrence for someone to get sick after eating under cooked meat due to a lack of patience with waiting for it to be thoroughly cooked. Tin foil being stuck to things in the oven was also common but everyone generally ate around it as much as possible.

The meal was a simple lasagna, nothing astoundingly special, but to Luna and Lincoln this was a meal straight from a five star restaurant. They took the plates to the table and quickly determined where they wanted to sit. Luna wanted to take the seat right next to Sam, but the seat next to her had the plate by it. So she went to the side of the table closer to the counter and sat down in the third seat which was right next to Sam's father. Lincoln mindlessly followed her and sat down next to her in the fourth seat. Luna knew that this would be difficult for Lincoln, after all after months of hell, to be in a place where people actually cared was suspect. Luna knew Sam and her parents enough that they didn't panic her, but for Lincoln this was a whole new situation, and he was _not_ handling it well.

A door in the left side of the hallway that connected the dining room and the kitchen opened up just as Sam's mom sat down in the first chair. Luna focused on her food, there was no reason to make the situation awkward and try to see who was coming to sit down. She mindlessly cut the pasta and took a bite, " _What if Sam replaced me? You left her! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!"_ while internally berating herself Luna failed to notice a boy sit down right next to Sam.

Looks good, Mrs. S!"

Luna darts her focus to a boy with dark black hair, He fit the bill of stereotypical emo-kid, Luna wasn't much to judge but this guy definitely seemed like he had issues. " _I'm thinking about his issues when I'm the one alone with my little bro far away from home waiting to beg my ex to let us bunk out on the couch."_

Sam speaks up and breaks her silence, "So Luna, what brings you out here? Didn't think you'd be able to come over for a long time." Luna thinks of something to say in reply, well knowing Sam was probably unhappy to intrude on her family life like this unannounced. "Uh, things got kinda heated at home...Pops and everyone else is having a hard time handling things, so I thought I'd give 'em a break from us two...I'm sorry we haven't spoke in awhile, Sam...I'll have to talk to you in private after dinner."

She heard Lincoln's shaking hands as he tried to cut his food. Luna's heart broke in anguish, the "groundings" at home which was basically isolation for days when the only human contact would be Lynn Sr. taking him food and water before whipping him with his belt, and now her little bro couldn't even function at a dinner table without shaking like a leaf in a tornado. This also made Luna feel a little guilty because some of the groundings came from Lincoln taking the blame for something she did.

"Luna Loud? That name sounds familiar...weren't you and your family exposed online? Wait you were the one who wore polka-dot underwear?" Luna immediately glared at him, so he was one of these bastards? How could Sam replace her with an asshole like this guy? She wanted nothing more than to yell at him, but if she was going to convince Sam's parents to let her and Lincoln stay here she had to be as kind as possible. Luna opened her mouth to speak-

"Shut it."

Everyone looked to the twelve year old who was now shaking in anger at the humiliation of his sister. Luna put her hand on his shoulder, "Linc, it's okay...you don't have to do this, I can handle it." the boy turned to Lincoln. "You little-"

"Jimmy! He's a kid, and he's right, that was a low blow on your part." Sam says berating the boy both siblings now know as Jimmy. Sam looks to Luna apologetically. "I'm sorry, Jimmy can be such an as- butt about things sometimes."

Luna has a small smile. "It's okay, Sam, sometimes ya gotta learn hoe to take things in stride and learn to laugh at yourself sometimes." It wasn't a complete lie, it did bother Luna when someone brought that up but she was able to avoid getting to broken up over it, this guy though...he invoked a strange anger, especially since it was obvious at this point that this was Sam's replacement for her.

Luna looks to Lincoln and whispers. "Are you okay, bro? I know it;s hard, but we gotta be on our best if we want this to got smooth...believe me there us worse than dealing with someone like him and his petty insults that could be our other options, just stick with the plan, alright?" Lincoln nods and begins to eat once more as the room falls into a deathly silence.

"So, Lincoln, how everything been lately, do anything interesting at school?"

"It's fine! Everything is fine." Lincoln nervously drones out to Sam's father. The man raises an eyebrow at Lincoln's tone of voice, the boy is obviously worried about something. "Is everything alright? You seem a little unsettled."

Lincoln at this moment wanted more than anything to tell even a stranger about the living hell that he and his family, his true family had endured over the past few months and beg him to find someone who can help, instead he puts on a fake smile. "Everything is fine, just a little...shy."

Sam's father shrugs, "Our daughter was quite like that at your age as well, she never did fit in well with the kids from the private school we sent her to, wasn't until we finally gave her a chance to break out of her shell." Lincoln sighs in relief; at least the most awkward conversation in his life was over, but somehow nowadays the next one felt just as awkward. This whole environment is just five strangers and his sister, it all felt like too much.

School had been easy, he could tune people out or just answer in one word sentences that usually would be in passing and it was over. School was mostly impersonal, and when it wasn't he made it impersonal to keep anyone he mildly cared for away from **him**.

A conversation with this many strangers after days of exile into his room was like a rookie actor acting live on Broadway for the first time. He wanted nothing more for this to end but the small bit of reason in his mind wasn't panicking was clear enough that he couldn't just give up and say he tried. It means too much to him that at least he and Luna would be safe...for now.

Jimmy finished his food first...even though he started last. He stood up from the table, "Sorry Mrs. S, I gotta go check on my phone and make a call. I'll be out back if anyone needs me." he pulls his phone out of his pocket and walks out back and sits down on a chair underneath the awning.

Sam's father mumbles something that sounds like, "Uncivilized pig..." that Sam seemingly doesn't hear, but Luna did. As much as she didn't like Jimmy Mr. S has no right to talk about him like that behind his back, at least be honest and say it to his face if you want to insult someone. Sam had always told Luna that even the slightest bit of high society arrogance was way too much. She felt like a bum for not being true to her last name and tell Sam's dad off loudly and proudly for what he's doing wrong, but Luna knew she'd have to compromise and tolerate this type of behavior so long as it didn't get too bad.

Mrs. S wasn't bad. That had to count for something right? Being able to tolerate one of your potential future guardians was a start, right? Then that brings Luna to the matter of actually asking for their help, which was something that she wasn't looking forwards to. It was a necessary, uncomfortable, degrading, potentially risky, and incredibly unpredictable.

Luna was just desperate enough to do it. Ninety-five percent of other situations the park bench would look more appealing, but this wasn't a game that there was a warm bed, loving family, and secure living space that they wouldn't freeze to death from the elements. The conversation she would have before with Sam was one that she was looking forward to even less. There was no lying, no way out, nothing could stop the truth from staying under the surface any longer if Luna wants to do this right, and undoubtedly she does. " _Just breathe, it shouldn't be too bad. Sam will understand, right? Worst case scenario is that...I don't want to think about that choice."_

Lincoln finished next, and then eventually Luna finished her food, and eventually everyone finished. Sam looked to Luna, "Meet me in my room." Luna nods and looks to Lincoln. "Hang out and see if there is anything you can do while we talk, alright Linc?"

"Yeah, that can work."

"Awesome, I won't be long. Just stay calm, 'kay."

Everyone got up from the table and put the dirty dishes in the sink. Mrs. S looks to Lincoln. "I'm gonna take care of the dishes, Clark can turn on the TV for you, right honey?"

TV. It had been a lifetime since the last time Lincoln was allowed to use the mind numbing reprieve from his own thoughts. He wasn't even sure what was on nowadays, he'd heard a little chatter at school but not enough to mean much.

Mr. S guided him back into the living room and turned on the TV and gave Lincoln the remote. "Watch anything you wish, I will be up stairs reading in my study if you happen to need me."

Lincoln nods and begins to flip through the most channels he'd ever seen. This is definitely a needed break from school assignments, assignments, memories, and Lincoln's memories.

He spots a show, " _Desert Operation 2.0: Extreme."_ for that moment Lincoln felt reminiscent to the child he'd been, but he realized no more time for thoughts, he had some kind numbing to do and it felt good.

* * *

"So, you show up months after dumping me and not talking to me, you don't even look at me anymore! Was I that much of a shame to you that you cut all ties with me?"

"Sam-"

Sam throws her arms in exasperation. "You helped me find this new lost part of me that made me feel special, like I wasn't just some failure born into a decently wealthy family. Why? What did I do that made you hate me so?"

"I-I don't hate you. I never could never hate you, Sam. There are things, things in my family that I want to keep there. I love you and that's why I had to break things off. My father's a bat straight out of 'ell and he's killed all the good things any of his daughters held close. Our Mother isn't doing any better since she's already replaced him, and she wants no part of any of us. Can't you see? Now I'm alone with my brother and I'm not even an adult yet. He's relying on me for survival and coming here was the best thing I could think of."

Tears spilt down Luna's cheeks and she breathes in. "H-He tried to k-kill my brother the other night, all because he said Lincoln was fucking bad luck. He told Lincoln exactly what was going on as it happened. I barely got him off of Lincoln, and he told us that if he ever saw either of us again he would kill us."

Sam was forced into a stunned silence, "I-I didn't know...I have to call the police, someone has to know!" Luna shakes her head. "No, you can't, he'll kill one of my sisters, Sam! The man is deranged, and I've seen it in his eyes as he beats me. If he even hears a cop car there is no questioning what he'll do. He won't even let me write anymore he's so fuckin' paranoid he wouldn't even let me write songs anymore because he thinks I'm calling for help."

Luna sits down on Sam's bed and let's the tears fall. "L-Lincoln, I-I think he might have some type of anxiety disorder...god it hurts, Sam, I can't stand watching what the sick bastard has done to my baby brother. Lincoln means the world to me and he can't even deal with a conversation now because he's been locked away in his room for days alone and beat daily."

Sam sits down and rubs Luna's back as she lets the pent up emotions out. "Please, Luna! Tell me what you need. I'll help you with anything, I promise."

Luna turns and looks Sam in the eyes. "Never tell anyone what I've told you, ever. It stays right here forever, and two you have to help me convince your parents to let me and Lincoln stay here-"

"They won't let you. I-I'm sorry L-Luna I-I don't think I can help you with that. My parents, they seem nice, but everything underneath, it's nasty. They're smug, they're overbearing, they're cruel. I can't believe how manipulative they are, my mother doesn't like it but with a kid like Lincoln who's been through so much. I don't know how his mind can take the insults. I-I mean he almost broke into a fight with Jimmy because of an insult, imagine that but everyday and worse than that. Plus, I know they aren't comfortable with people that go against their standards, and you and Lincoln...You aren't blood to them and that makes them much less willing to tolerate you."

Luna's mind is running at a thousand miles per hour. Luna saw the snark in Mr. S, but never did she think there was something as vile as what Sam describes. " _Looks like everyone I love chose the short stick in the parent-department."_

Luna stands up, "I don't know what I;m gonna do...this just keeps getting worse every day." She looks to San who has her wallet out. "Here, just take everything in there and get somewhere safe, a hotel room here," she writes down an address. "Should do, I'm good friends with management and they can get you a discount and make things cheaper."

"Sam, I don't wanna-"

"Take the money, my family has too much of it already god damn it, I can make it back easy and you need this more than me."

She looks at the wallet and card and contemplates her course of action. "I-I promised Linc I'd do anything for him, didn't I? I guess I'll take it, thank you Sam..." Luna turns to the door and begins to walk towards it before turning. "One more think before we go," she looks to Sam and kisses her on the lips as the two walk down memory lane for that moment of the first time it happened when they went on their first date to a Mick Swagger concert just before the divorce, they separate. "Break up with Jimmy, the guys an asshole."

Still dazed by this confrontation Sam replies. Okay, I-I'll do that and then I can come see you guys in a few days."

"Rockin, it's a date."

* * *

 **A/N Sorry for not updating in a while. Been really busy with Thanksgiving and school. I'll try to have the next one out sooner. Don't forget to leave a review.**


	4. Chapter 4

On Our Own Here We Go

 _The Broken._

 _(The morning after Chapter One)_

All was not well back in the Loud of the sisters could piece together that awful screaming that shook them from slumber. Even the youngest among them knew something terrible happened, if the yelling wasn't enough to running was enough to shake the house.

A feeling of shame was abundant at the table while Lori served her younger siblings, they all felt like cowards for not doing something to help out Lincoln and Luna. For all any of them knew they could be dead by now, and when they asked Lynn Sr he told them, "Don't worry about them, they aren't coming back. Don't any of you go looking for them either, they are dead to this family!" and nobody dared to press him any further since he was pissed and laid up in his room with a bad hangover.

"Lori...y-you don't think he hurt them, right?" Luan whispers to Lori as she pours milk into a bowl. "I could hear someone fall and..." Lori sighs, "I think they're fine. I heard running, and **he** literally couldn't run two feet judging by that hangover."

"Ew! Lori! Stinky cheese and cereal totes don't work together!"

Lori slaps her hand to her forehead. "Of course the milk is literally disgusting! Everything in this house is breaking or ruined!"

"Shut the fuck up in there!"

Lori clenches her teeth, barely resisting the temptation to poke the hungover bear. "We're sorry." Lori turns to her sisters, "Pour that stuff out...I guess plain cereal will have to do." Everyone sighs and does as asked. Luan relents, "N-No, I'll just go in Lincoln's room...maybe he left a clue behind. I just can't sit here while my brother and sister are missing!" Lori frowns, they all were worried but eating was and skipping a meal was definitely not good since they hardly had enough to feed everyone. Skipping even one of the scarce meals nearly ensures that the person who doesn't eat will definitely not get enough nutrients to be healthy and avoid malnutrition.

"Luan, if you eat everyone will go help you look. Lincoln and Luna are smart enough to find somewhere safe, none of us ate well last night and if that's anything to judge by we won't eat much later on."

Luan sighs, "Fine." She grabs a new bowl from the cabinet and gets in the back of the line of siblings who were waiting for a new serving of cereal. Lori took care of getting Lily her baby food before sitting down at the table with the rest of her sisters. They ate in silence for a few minutes, nobody had anything to say because truthfully what was there to be said? The complete destruction of the families social ties due to Lynn Sr's intense paranoia over one of them snitching.

It wasn't like they had anything they could say when the bane of the families existence was strung out on the family couch in the other room. Lynn was the first one to speak up, "I'm going to my room. I-I need some alone time." She got up from the chair before Lori stopped her. "Come on Lynn, you of all people should know that you need to eat to keep your strength up."

"I can skip a meal. Just don't worry about me, okay?" Lori frowns, "It's my job to worry about you, I'm your older sister and I know that you need food."

Lynn stays calm but speaks with an ice cold tone. "If you know it's best then why didn't you do anything to stop what happened last night? Or why didn't you step in when **he** picked up a bottle of booze for the first time? You're just as clueless about what to do as Lily, at least she knows when to quit bothering me."

Everyone's jaw drops as they wait for Lori to explode and yell at Lynn, but it's a surprise when Lori begins to cry. "Don't you think I know that? Don't you think I think back hundreds of times and think that things could have been different? Maybe if I did stop Dad from picking up booze things could have gone different? I'm doing my best here to try and make it up to everyone by doing my best to hold things together!"

Lynn doesn't respond and stalks back upstairs to her room. Leni gets up to console the now crying Lori, "It's okay, Lori. Don't cry..." Lori looks to Leni, "No, it's not, I'm failing to keep everyone together, I always thought maybe I could make things normal again. Now Luna and Lincoln are god knows where and-"

"No Lori, you are not to blame!"

"But-"

"I may not be like the smartest, but I know this is not your fault, Lori. You've been the sister that we've all needed, and that's nothing to be ashamed of."

The other siblings in the room were seriously beginning to question if they were in some alternate universe; Lori crying? LENI giving QUALITY emotional advice? Lisa even muttered something about checking if she was exposed to the same device she used to grant Lincoln's wish of visiting a world in which he had brothers instead of sisters.

Lisa hops down onto the ground. "I would like to go to my la-room and catch a few Z's as the typical person would say. I wish you well on searching for evidence to the location of our wayward siblings, goodbye."

Lisa leaves like Lynn and heads back upstairs to her room. Leaving before anyone can begin to formulate a response to her question, but they didn't hassle her because the last thing they wanted to do was to get **him** up and in their business. The only good thing about when their father getting this drunk was the major hangover that usually lead to a peaceful but quiet day so long as nobody did anything overly loud. The penalty for doing so would be a grounding for a week which would be pain free until the hangover wore off then whoever made said noise would be given the belt.

Eventually everyone else finished their food and went upstairs to Lincoln's room was rather empty other than the bed and it's soul cover which was near the bottom of the bed. Lincoln's pillow was on the floor next to the bed, it looked like someone had just gotten out of bed rather hastily and never looked back.

Lori knew better, "This definitely wasn't what happened. I heard enough to know that this is a set up, I'm totally surprised **he** was able to do that with how drunk he was," she looks to Lana who had been silently following her lead. "Can you please check under the bed? Maybe they left something there that we could use...who knows maybe one of your animals escaped under there."

At the mention of her animals Lana brightened up. "I'll get under there and check. Doesn't sound like it though." Lana got close to the ground and slips beneath the small bed, it was a tight fit but she eventually squeezes completely in. Lana immediately realized she was laying on a rectangular shape and then she put a name to it. "Guys I think I'm laying on top of a notepad."

Lana struggles momentarily to get out form underneath, "Can you guys lift it a little? I'm stuck!" everyone but Lori came over and carefully lifted the bed up high enough that Lana can slip out and grab the notepad.

"Can you bring it her, Lana?" Lori exclaims as she passes Lily to Luan. The tomboy walks over with the notepad in her hand. Lori immediately studies the contents of the front page and notices that they are song lyrics for a song called, " _The Castle Crumbles_." in an album called, " _Tales From The Broken_." all of which was in Luna's handwriting.

"This is one of Luna's songs. A brand new one."

Luan gasps, "So that's what she's been doing at night!" Lori raises an eyebrow. "You've known she's been writing this?"

"Not really...but I've heard her moving around at night sometimes so this must be what she's been doing. **He** wouldn't let her write any other time than when he's out, doing you know what." Lori nods, she was glad her sister still had her creative flare, which for most of the other Louds at the moment was lacking.

Luna had been drifting away from in the family that wasn't Lincoln, they had begun to wonder if there was something more than it seems and if Lori had to guess Luna was merely using extra time to think in private when she went to her room before anyone else for the night.

They all knew well enough that Luna made an effort to spend as much time as possible with Lincoln when he wasn't grounded for something someone else usually did. Lori thought that maybe Luna felt indebted to Lincoln for suffering for them. This notepad and the fact the two made such a hasty escape put them both in this room last night. Lori had a feeling nothing important would be in here and she was somewhat right, the main reason they were doing this was to help Luan think that they were just gonna forget Luna and Lincoln and move on.

"Alright guys, there's nothing in here that we can use. I don't want to make a mess and go through his drawers. They left in a hurry and Luna wouldn't just leave her songs here if she had a choice or a plan to do anything. I'll call the music store Luna works at on Monday to see if she shows up for work. Keep your eyes peeled for Lincoln at school and if the school doesn't call it means he showed up." ( **AN: They ran away on a Friday night, this is a Saturday morning and they went to Sam's house after missing Monday which gave no leads.** )

All the siblings in the room agree. Lori nods, "I'll go tell Lynn and Lisa and under no conditions does ANY of you speak a word of this to **him,"** she gazes upon her siblings and smiles. "Go outside and have fun, but don't make too much noise alright? This only happens once in a blue moon."

"Thanks, Lori." All of them say in a whisper yell as everyone but Luan engages in a group hug. They all break apart and go downstairs. Lori prepares to leave the room but turns back just as she leaves, "I'll find out what happened here."

Lori walks out of the room into the hall leaving the empty room of her brother in silence once more.

Little did she know that a hundred feet below her a mad scientist was also on the case of solving the families issues in more of a permanent solution fashion. "Lisa you idiot! How could you ever be as foolish in believing a paradox such as time travel could be possible," she sits down in a huge spinning chair. "You should have recognized the symptoms of alcoholism and depression early, and treated it, but now a time machine? My intellect has failed me once more in efforts to preserve of my family unit."

 _"I could compensate and bring our siblings home...but is that really the best thing I can do for them? If I know anything about Lincoln and Luna Loud it is that Lori is not wrong in the assumption that they were crafty enough to survive. Lincoln definitely is capable of planning out something as trivial as finding shelter, but do I really want to allow things to play out in the cruel hands of a chance? It only takes one lucky shot in the area so close to the criminal cesspool that is Detroit...but it only takes one extra hard hit from a drunk man to kill."_

Lisa rubs her temples, " _If only I was more like Lincoln then maybe everything would be fine. He had been the adhesive that allowed the family to function for so long. It's pathetic that it took becoming a punching bag to finally realize what I was doing had been nothing but cruel experimentation. If I have to work myself into the grave to build something to allow me a chance to reverse my mother's infidelity and everything that happened after I will."_

The sound of her AI broke Lisa out of her train of thought. "Lori Loud is currently on a trajectory towards your room. Immediate action required to avoid discovery of absence, should I activate protocol 17?" The AI smoothly asks. "Yes, inflate the blow up dummy and set the microphone to slightly muffled."

A microphone is brought to Lisa by a robotic butler. the computer monitor in front of Lisa played the footage from the micro-camera she had placed on the wall in her room. It displayed the bunk bed and the other pieces of furniture and pretty much everything in the room. The blow up dummy is also clearly visible from underneath the covers with only Lisa's hair being visible.

The door to the room swings open revealing Lori who quietly speaks. "Lisa? Lisa are you awake?"

Lisa fakes a groan. "I am indeed conscious. I do believe I have contracted a case of food poisoning. I wills be fine so long as I maintain elevated levels of hydration."

Lori looks on concerned. "Are you sure you'll be okay? We didn't find anything in Lincoln's room, and I was hoping maybe you had something that can help us find them."

Lisa smoothly lies. "In case you haven't noticed, father has stripped me of all my equipment. It would be child's play to find them if I had my equipment, but alas that is not the case."

"Oh, okay. Just let me know if you need anything to drink, and don't lie to me."

"What?" Lisa almost fell out of her chair at this accusation, how would Lori see through her disguise so easily, unless-

"Don't lie to me and tell me you aren't thirsty or you don't want anything to drink. It's my job to take care of this and you aren't gonna lie to me, okay?"

Internally the tornado of thoughts spinning within her mind dissipated, so she didn't have a clue. "Yes, I am aware that I have to take care of myself properly and I will be honest with you."

"Alright, I'm gonna talk to Lynn then I'll come back with something for you to drink."

The door to the room quietly shut behind Lori as she left what she thought was her ailing sister to lie down and rest off food poisoning.

* * *

Lynn tosses a small orange ball up in the air before catching it as it came back down. _"What's wrong with me? I know Lori's doing everything she can to help out, but I yelled at her for doing the same thing we all did."_

Lynn knew she was more angry at herself for hiding in her room when Lincoln and Luna were chased out of the house. Lincoln would never leave his family unless he had to, he had proven time and time again that he'd go through physical pain for any one of them. Obviously something bad happened last night, Lynn didn't know what that could've been but it is easy enough to assume the general situation.

The door opened to her room, but Lynn didn't even move her focus from the ball.

"Lynn-"

"I'm sorry."

Lori did not expect that one bit, she expected Lynn to shun her completely or even worse that she'd continue the argument they had during breakfast.

"I...I was wrong, Lori. I've never been good at admitting my mistakes, but in this case I was obviously out of line. I can't blame you for something that everyone didn't do," she finally looks to Lori and the older sister saw the tears in her eyes. "I came at you hoping you'd yell at me, that it'd be like what things used to be for a moment. Even if it meant that we'd be screaming our heads off...I know everything I did was wrong and I hope you can forgive me."

"It's okay, Lynn. This has been hard on all of us, even I lose control of my emotions like you saw earlier. Maybe it'd be better if you had a conversation with us instead of yelling at us, nut I forgive you Lynn. I don't have room in my head to hold a grudge over a stupid argument, none of us do. Just try not to do it again, okay?"

Lynn nods to Lori. The older sibling holds the door open, "Go have fun outside, everyone but Lisa is out there already. I'm gonna be out in a minute after I get Lisa a drink and make sure she's actually okay."

Lynn gets out of bed and walks out the door. "Thank you, Lori."

"No problem, twerp. Now go do something sporty or whatever outside. Just don't do anything too loud. I don't think I need to explain why."

Lynn looks back to Lori. "Okay, I will, but you better not tell anyone I cried, got it?"

"Your secret is safe with me."

* * *

 **A/N Time for a quick announcement for the next chapter! Next time things will start to change from the original story. Things like the dialogue, title, and details of the original chapter will change so I can work on the actual continuation of this story. I hope you all look forward to that, and don't forget to leave a review!**


	5. Chapter 5

On Our Own Here We Go

Chapter 4 The beginning Of A New Day

"Lincoln, wake up bro!" The twelve year old rolls over, "I don't wanna get up, Luna." The sixteen year old puts her hands on her hips. "We have to get going Linc, school is important. It's the law, dude." The boy sighs and sits up, he rubs his eyes and slips out of the bed. It felt good to be in a real bed, something that actually felt like a bed meant for comfort.

But even then there was guilt rising in the pit of Lincoln's stomach as he remembers the fact that his sisters were left behind. It made him feel so bad to be enjoying luxury compared to what was back at the house, and even worse when he knew that he is failing to be a good brother and protect everyone. _"What kind of brother am I? Everyone probably thinks I left because I hate them."_

Lincoln opens the closet to reveal seven different outfits for both siblings. They took a cab and used some of the money Luna got from Sam to buy the necessities to get through each day of the week. After that they took a second cab to a hotel Luna said Sam recommended to her. Apparently it was a good deal since it made walking to her work and school possible until they found a permanent place to go, also she said it's be more cost-effective.

Lincoln picked out an outfit and took it into the bathroom, he hangs his new outfit on the shower hook before slipping out of his old clothing. He heats the water up to the warmest setting possible to quickly heat the water up. The water completely wakes Lincoln from his drowsy state, it feels great to have warm water massage his skin.

Lincoln began to think about all the things he has to do today. This new situation felt better than living at home, but going back to school after the pure insanity that has taken him on this strange adventure.

School would be an awkward endeavor, but wasn't that everything nowadays? Being around his other sisters will be strange to say the least. _"Oh hey guys, yeah, sorry, can't come home. What? It's getting worse? Well too bad."_

Lincoln would never use those exact words in a conversation but that'd be basically what he would have to say. Anything else would undoubtedly only end in pain if he didn't lie and say he and Luna ran away on their own terms.

Lincoln knew Luna wouldn't have it any easier, after all she would have to deal with Lori, Leni, and Luan. At least for Lincoln the only older sibling he had at his school was Lynn and he assumes she'll be ashamed of him for quitting. That'd be for the best, wouldn't it? They'd never have to deal with his father's disdain for his luck again.

The thing that hurt the most about the whole ordeal on Friday is that Lincoln doesn't think his father was completely wrong. Bad luck seems to follow Lincoln wherever he goes, and it feels like even when nothing bad is happening something **really** bad is waiting to happen. Lincoln wasn't to firm in his belief of luck but there is a point when things stop seeming random.

It's like no matter how pure his motives are or how far he plans ahead it always ends with him in pain. Life kept on throwing a new disaster his way whenever he recovers from the previous. The dark thoughts that occasionally pass through Lincoln's mind make him feel as though it's his luck that tore his family apart. It didn't make sense, and he knew that but the lingering of doubt in his mind still made it hard to be comfortable with what he had now.

Maybe it was just his luck that his family, the thing he values the most in this life would suffer in his stead while he has the comfort of waking up without the fear of being brutally punished for any minor offense. Maybe that's the ultimate sign of his bad luck.

It didn't help that he still had to deal with Chandler and his friends, he didn't like to think of them or their special brand of torture much, the memories of getting mocked relentlessly for the state of his family and the constant torturous pranks that have been played on him.

Lincoln couldn't believe that there was one point where he'd do anything to get closer to Chandler, now he dreads the sound of the mocking laughter that torments him.

He'd never tell Luna about this. It was one more thing for a teenager with way too much to worry about, he could handle his own problem.

The whole situation has given him a new appreciation for Luna, though. Even though it hasn't been too long since they left home he couldn't imagine how he feels like to be responsible for her younger brother with all the obstacles that have allowed them to manage this difficult situation.

Even though they weren't able to stay at Sam's house like they originally wanted it still ended up rather positive since they had money, new clothing, and a safe place. This isn't even counting the fact that she saved his life. It made him feel bad that he never even thanked her for that, his thoughts have just been so preoccupied with all this change, and it hurt to think back to it. Whenever he did for too long it caused him to instantly start panicking.

Lincoln steps out of the shower and dries himself off before slipping into his new clothes. The shirt was a rather plain white sweatshirt to go along with navy blue sweatpants. It felt a little odd to wear the sweatpants since he typically wore jeans, but they were simply not a smart buy and since it was cold out it only made sense.

He went to the sink and picked up the tube of toothpaste and squirted it onto his blue toothbrush.

Lincoln began to wonder if he'd be able to talk to Ronnie Anne again, he felt terrible for pushing her away. _"Sam forgave Luna, why can't Ronnie Anne forgive me?"_ Part of him wants to believe this is true but he know Ronnie Anne definitely isn't the type of person to control her emotions enough to avoid making everything worse if she ever learned the truth.

The silence between them carried the message of, _"I'll stay out of your business so long as you don't bother me again unless you want to get punched."_ and it wasn't fair to lead her on while lying every step of the way. It was selfish to want to continue a romantic relationship with such a major secret he felt that couldn't be disclosed if Ronnie Anne or their family to act in a way that causes the already fragile home situation to become a nuclear bomb with an even more devastating fallout.

Life is bad enough as in back home with an abusive father, if anyone was ever going to report it to the police the situation would become much worse if they were broken up and put through Foster Care. He'd done some digging when he had free time at school and he read a treasure trove of stories about kids going to families straight out of hell.

His sisters had each other, that wasn't something to gamble on hoping each of the many Loud children found responsible homes. Lincoln was positive most of his older sisters were aware of how things could be and the younger ones follow their lead anyways.

Lincoln finishes brushing and puts the brush in the cup that was right next to the faucet with Luna's pink brush.

He walks out of the bathroom to see Luna sitting at the small desk by the TV writing on the complimentary sticky notes that had been on the small table next to both beds. Luna looks to him, "You ready to go? It's gonna be a bit of a walk." she grabs a box on the desk and tosses it to him.

"You're gonna have to eat on the move, bro."

Lincoln pulls out a package of cherry poptarts and sets the box tears the wrapper off and takes a bite. "Okay, let's go then."

The two walk out of the small room that was their temporary sanctuary and Luna locks the door behind them with a small key which she puts back in her pocket. They navigate the hallways until the brother and sister find the elevator. Luna presses the button and then they wait about half a minute before the elevator arrives. The siblings step in and then Lincoln presses the button for the first floor.

Luna takes a moment to look to Lincoln, "Watcha thinkin' about, bro?" he seemingly snaps out of his daydream. "Oh, it's fine, just a little...anxious, everything is so different. I feel like everything is going a million miles an hour."

"You sure that's it? You look a little pale, bro. I do understand, though, heh at one point I always thought being free and out on the land would be fun. I guess I was a bit of some bonehead to think that, but I guess we can get through what I told you? So long as we got each other and our family we'll be fine. You'll have a chance to see some of 'em today."

"Yeah, just gotta stay calm," he remembers something and looks back. "Luna...I never quite thanked you for everything you've done for me lately. I-I don't think anyone's ever gone as far as you have for me, it really means a lot to have you around helping me through the last couple days and however long life is like...this. I mean you saved my life at the expense of living at home, I really don't know how to thank you enough."

Luna frowns, "I chose to save you because I love you Lincoln. I would have always made the choice I did, you're my little bro! You mean a lot to me, and I have no doubt you would do the same for me under the exact circumstances. Don't ever think that you owe me a thing for saving you, I know it used to seem like everyone wanted something from you all the time," she sighs. "I know because it's true, we did. The last few months have made me realize how wrong we could treat you at times, and it made me see how much you are willing to do nothin' in return for us, even takin' punishments for everyone else."

This made Lincoln's eyes water, he didn't expect anything so strong from Luna. He always looked to Luna as the easy going rocker in the family, not really the type to get overly emotional or anything. It is even more of a surprise that she apologized to him for small things that felt like they happened decades ago.

"T-Thank Y-You...I didn't think that was gonna happen."

Luna puts her hand on his shoulder, "If you have any issues Lincoln, I do care and you can tell me. I promise that I will help you to the best of my ability to help you, we're gonna have to rely on each other for awhile and I want you to know I have your back."

The elevator finally came to a complete stop and Lincoln and Luna step out. "So this is gonna be a pretty long walk dude. An hour both ways, but don't forget that I gotta go to work after school so you're gonna come with me and give a hand. Does that sound good?"

Lincoln recalls Luna telling him this just before bed, "Yeah I can help, after all it's just selling records and stuff. How hard could it be?" She chuckles. "Love that enthusiasm, dude!"

They pass the front desk and walk out the front door, it wouldn't be too bad walking to school. Both of them were familiar enough with the area around their schools to know the way to get there. After all they were only two miles away.

They begin the long journey in silence before Lincoln speaks, "So how are you gonna deal with Lori and Luan asking you where we went?" she shrugs. "I dunno, probably tell them we had no other choice. It's the truth if there is no other way we can say it. Just be careful who hears, bro, could get a little hairy if someone hears something they shouldn't."

"Alright, will do."

Luna smiles at him, "So you gonna talk to your gal today, bro?" He blushes a little bit. "No, we don't really see each other since school started again. Besides, I can't really count on her to not march down to the house and cause trouble."

"Aw, you just gotta give it some time. You know a lil sweet talkin' goes a long way to getting into your special little ladies heart," she gasps. "Oh! You can sample some music at work later then serenade her-"

He sigh, "No, I think it'd be better if I just leave her alone, she's probably mad enough at me already." Luna frowns. "Aw, dude. I just wanna see you happy. You should try and at least fix the friendship up, you're free to try and find happiness."

Lincoln looks to the ground, "A-Alright, it's just so hard to talk to people...I-I don't wanna mess up and get hit again." The older of the two thinks before carefully responding to her brother. "Is someone hurting you at school, Linc?"

"No-just forget about what I said alright? It's nothing important."

"You promised me, bro."

Lincoln rubs the back of his head, "It's just teasing, Luna, nothing too bad. Just a joke every now and then, nothing more!"

Luna knows Lincoln is telling a lie, but if she presses too hard it will be difficult to convince him to share anything with her. She'd let this one slide but if there is anything that seems out of the ordinary there would be major issues with whoever is messing with her brother. It would be hard enough to coerce Lincoln to tell her anything, Luna clearly remembered being his age and the amount of secrets and lying she did. It wasn't necessarily anything to be proud of but it's just that point in life.

"Alright, bro. Just tell me if you need anything like you promised me."

Lincoln forces a smile, "Yeah, I will, don't worry." It was a tiny white lie, wasn't it? It's not like anything would change for the better. He knew that unfortunately Luna's hands would be tied in anyways, it's not like she could tell since they didn't even go to the the same schools and then the school would do as it always does when it comes to anything mildly serious: call the parents and make them solve the issues and give the bully a minor punishment.

It wasn't all worth the risk. Chandler was worth dealing with if it meant he didn't have to go back to the house. Then Lincoln would be right back where he started, he would just have to endure anything thrown at him and hope that the torment wasn't too bad.

Before Lincoln knew it the journey was over and he and Luna arrived. Both schools were across the street from each other, "See you later, Linc. The bells gonna ring for me to go to first period soon. Go ahead and wait outside until they let you in."

Lincoln walks across the street to his school building, he takes a deep breath and breathes out. He was about as ready as he would ever be to tackle the day ahead of him.

 _"It will only get easier after the first day, right? My luck is turning around starting today, I can feel it."_

 **A/N**

 **First off, I'd like to apologize for how long it took to make this chapter. I really would've had it out sooner had my computer not broken down. But anyways it's fixed so now I can started updating this story again. Are you ready for the next chapter? Cause I'm not.**


	6. Chapter 6

**On Our Own Here We Go**

 _Demented Fragment_

 **Unknown Perspective**

Have you ever just wanted to cause pure chaos for the fun of it? To watch the man on the high horse feel helpless? That is my existence, the warden here is quite an ass even if he doesn't know he has a prisoner. One day there will be nothing stopping me from doing whatever the hell I want, one day Lincoln will have no control over himself. I will be free to take over.

No drunken bastard or prick child will keep me from making this world my own personal playground. Anarchy is a beautiful thing when you get to know it. Pure unrelenting chaos, the true face of everyone on full display so you can find out who's a coward.

Order leads to a broken power structure to be rigged in favor of the one's gifted power, that's not for me. No my vision for the world is one where the strong will provide themselves and the weak suffer. No longer will weak men be gifted power he does not deserve.

The oppressed and forgotten will be able to take back the streets that have been held onto corrupted leaders. Flags and symbols will no longer govern as individuals will be given the true absolute freedom from the chains placed upon them by the constructs of the power thirsty who rule. Even the most charismatic will have to deal with judgement day soon enough.

People have masks you see? They use the front to charm, lure you into the trap of control then tie you to them with all the control they have. In my case, I am imprisoned behind this mask. A mask of a weak child who loses a small part of himself each day. I wait for the time I gain enough power to communicate with the boy. Once he surrenders to my manipulation, to allow him more authority than he could've ever hoped for, I'll be in control.

What? You think that won't happen? Have you seen Lincoln Loud these days? He's so weak and tormented his sisters can't even help him. And to think, it's all because of a drunk, abusive father.

Still, here I am, residing in his conscience. Born from his hatred and suffering that has built up in the past year. This is my chance. My opportunity to break free. So just wait, watch and see. I'll guide Lincoln to a path of destruction. I'll show him how to harm those against him, how to fight back against others. Whether they stand by his side or not. Because that's what I live for. And once he lets the hatred overcome him, I'll be the one pulling the strings.

 **A/N**

 **Alex is back! I changed a few things here from the original chapter for the sake of this story's plot. Either way I hope you all like it, seeing that Alex is still in this story. However, I wonder if I'll call him Alex. If you have suggestion for a different name feel free to leave a review about it.**


	7. Chapter 7

On Our Own Here We Go

Chapter 4 Making Amends Part 1

 **A/N First off, I want to apologize for not updating this story in a while. I've been taking the time rewrite some of my original ideas for it since I realized it wasn't as good at first. So I hope you can enjoy what I've done for this chapter and the rest of this story. I also want to say that this chapter will be told differently from the original story. And with that, enjoy the chapter.**

Lincoln sat at his desk with his eyes glued to his work. The math was easy, Lincoln easily took care of the problems within fifteen minutes of class beginning, but if he looks busy it might give people the idea that he didn't want to be messed with.

A wet substance hits Lincoln hits Lincoln on the neck, immediately knowing what happened Lincoln closes his eyes and shuts out the noise. Chandler might not mess with him if he didn't speak up, the torment would be pointless if he didn't give a reaction, right?

"Hey Loud! You look poorer than usual today! Did you get your clothes at Goodwill?"

 _"Don't give them a reason to come here!"_ Lincoln internally yells, he knows them well enough to know when they want him to get angry. They are good at doing it, Lincoln had come awfully close to damn near biting his own tongue off while trying to avoid an outburst.

This is just the first step of the daily torment, after this day they would take him from harmless spitballs and mean words to public humiliation, and then from humiliation to physical harassment. The majority of his class joined in on the torment when nobody was looking, they spoke in slang so none of the teachers would catch on.

Lincoln's friends had mostly been spread around in other rooms due to the fact he barely passed fifth grade while Clyde and most of the people he hang out with had better grades, thus leaving him with kids like Chandler who value social status over grades.

Lunch is an odd daily affair, Lincoln would just go through the line and get his food quickly before hiding at a table he wouldn't be seen from the regular table that most of his classmates would sit at. Occasionally, though he get spotted and then one of Chandler's goons would take the liberty of dumping milk on him and making it look like an, 'accident', but Lincoln is smart enough to know it's not.

Last year he would have had some of sisters share lunch with him, but apparently the demon that is his luck had him at the last lunch time and his friends all ate before him.

The only person he has any connection with is Ronnie Anne, and she doesn't want anything to do with him after he'd broken up with her with no explanation.

Lincoln feels a tap on his shoulder, he turns around and opens his mouth to speak when a spitball enters his mouth. He begins to gag as kids laughed at him while the teacher turned a blind eye to the antics of the students in her class.

An immense pressure began to weigh i Lincoln's mind. The desire to do something easily regrettable is rising fast, the constant humiliation and crap Chandler and everyone else put him through on the daily made his blood boil.

 _"Just make it through the day, it's gonna be over before you know it."_

Lincoln knew he had no leeway to get into trouble, he was the punching bag for most administrators and students if he did anything noticeably wrong and his father could be called and then Pandora's box will have opened on him and his family.

Lincoln only hopes that Luna is having a better day than himself.

* * *

Sam didn't come to school. Normally that is overlooked by everyone else, everyone gets sick right? Luna knew Sam well enough that she wouldn't stay home for some cold or anything else other than something that would have her in an emergency room. The reason being why she hates being at home alone with her parents more than any school work on Earth.

"Hey, Luna, what are you lookin' for? Don't tell me you're high-"

Luna rolls her eyes, "I appreciate Rock and it's culture, doesn't mean I'm gonna become a stoner, Mike." The blonde boy sitting next to her chuckles. "Okay, that's good, but what are you starin' for?"

"Sam didn't come to school."

Mike tilts his head, "That's odd, she normally is here on time, it's probably just a cols or she slept in." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a pair of headphones.

"You hear the new Mick Swagger album? Just came out last week, different from his older stuff but a new direction isn't necessarily bad."

Luna rolls her eyes, "Uh, dude, sort of sold everything if you'd remember". He blushes in embarrassment. "Oh right, my bad, dude."

He offers her one one of the earbuds, "Wanna listen?" Luna thinks on the offer before moving her chair over so she could listen. The two listen to one of the songs, and quite frankly it surprised her how...depressing it is: Mick had always wrote lighter stuff, it made a grim smile cross her face; at least she wasn't the only one going through the dumps.

"What happened to Mick, dude? This ones a lil' heavy, did he go through a breakup or somethin'?"

"Nah, he's going through a mid-life crisis from what I've heard, apparently he's really sad he never had kids or something."

Luna rolls her eyes, " _I'd sign up for that in a heart beat, Mick would be ten times better than Pops."_ They continue to listen to song after song until the teacher says something that breaks her out of her musical trance.

"Ms. Loud, I'd appreciate it if you answer me when I call your name for roll check, next time I might just count you absent.

Luna's eyes widen. "Oh my bad, Mr. Delonge!" she moves her chair back to her original position. Mr. Delonge rolls his eyes, "How about we just get along with roll call?" he looks at the roster on his clipboard. Luna blankly looks forward, waiting for further instruction, but as Mr. Delonge reads off the rest of the names off the rest of the roster there is one Luna notices that had been completely skipped.

"Uh, I think you missed Sam, Mr. D." She exclaims with her hand raised, the man seemingly reads over the list once more. Mr. Delonge shrugs, "She's been taken off the roster." Luna's jaw almost hit the floor in shock, how the hell did that happen? She had seen people moved from classes if requested, never really out of the blue and this could only mean one thing...she'd been pulled out of the school!

"You thinking what I'm think, dude!" Mike silently yells to Luna who nods back quickly. "I'm gonna have to call her after work today!"

Another thing on the ever growing to-do list of Luna Loud, life has become one big shit storm hasn't it? Most sixteen year olds had dating, school, and hobbies to deal with, but for her it is dealing with just about every single thing blowing up in front of her. Her blood pressure is probably more akin to a single mother in her late thirties, not a sixteen year old.

It's not even second period and already something fishy is going on. Luna turns her attention back to her teacher who is now passing out papers to the class.

 _"It's gonna be a long day, isn't it?"_

* * *

 _20 minutes later_

* * *

Lincoln stares blankly into the mirror while wiping away a little bit of blood. He had tripped when he stood up from his desk to turn in his work, his nose smashed hard against the floor, luckily it isn't broken. Being called "Captain Klutz." or "The red-nose reindeer." didn't make anything at all more tolerable.

All of a sudden his mind is on alert as his eyes catch something in the mirror, Lincoln only catches a glimpse of the figure, but that is all that is needed for his heart to start racing. He could've sworn he saw...himself, standing at the door to the bathroom. This couldn't be real. Could it? Is his mind playing tricks on itself?

 _"I need to get a hold of myself! It's not real...it can't be a real thing. But it looked real...and angry. I really don't know what to think about...thinking hurts."_

Lincoln turns on the faucet and attempts to cup water in his now shaking hands, he tosses the water in his face and attempts to calm himself down. A small headache made itself known. The pain made Lincoln wince before he comes to a decision on what to do next. He walks into one of the stalls, gagging a little at the smell of the unflushed toilet. Lincoln grabs a sheet of toilet paper ripping off to small pieces and putting it into his nose in case it began to bleed once more.

Lincoln sticks his hands into his pant pocket, attempting to hide his shaking appendages He walks out into the hall as the sounds of his own footsteps is the only thing separating the rather empty hall from the vacuum of space. Lincoln's head felt slightly better as he began to try and calm down by writing the...thing that happened at the bathroom as a trick of the mirror.

Eventually, Lincoln returns to his classroom and knocks on the door, for a few moments Lincoln waits at the door before getting aggravated. He knocks several more times before rolling his eyes at the obvious prank going on.

His teacher throws the door open before yelling at him, "Lincoln! You only knock once!" he opens his mouth to rebuke before realizing that responding back isn't the best thing he could do. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Lewis."

Taking a little walk of shame back to his desk, Lincoln sits down and puts his head on his right arm before closing his eyes. He hoped the pain would fade away and that maybe a little time would get wasted while he rested.

Lincoln didn't plan on actually falling asleep; that's basically asking for someone to pull some kind of prank on him while unconscious. The last thing he needs is for someone to have a container with warm water to slip his hand into so he'd pee.

All f a sudden a piece of paper falls onto the back of his head and Lincoln quickly picks his head up, thinking someone is messing with him, the twelve year old glares before meeting the eyes of his teacher. "Your accident does not preclude you from doing the assignment like everyone else, Lincoln. Get to work and don't let me catch you sleeping again."

Lincoln looks at the paper-no packet that Mrs. Lewis gave to him, and the thing is one massive, "Solve the problem correctly to get the right letter to fill in the riddle." but instead of a sentence the amount of blanks made it look more like a paragraph than any sentence he'd ever seen. He looks inward, trying to find the strength to do the work, but the motivation is beyond him at the moment.

He glances at Mrs. Lewis, negative thoughts begin to bubble within him, all directed at his teacher. Usually. Lincoln is very conscious of the people around him and accepting of circumstances or reasons for actions, but this woman is seriously testing his patience as he dealt with his own issues.

The optimism he once held about his day turning around is now completely gone. It seems like everyone is out to get him as usual, if only he had a friend who could help him out...could he really ask Ronnie Anne for help? Ignoring her forever would get Lincoln nowhere fast, at least he could try being friends, and honestly if there is a better idea it is beyond his mental capacity to think of a different solution.

Lincoln turns around to see what Ronnie Anne is doing, and to his surprise she is actually doing the work. He begins to think about how he can get two rows back without getting caught. The seat next to Ronnie Anne is empty, and all of a sudden it hits him and Lincoln raises his hand, "Can I move seats? My desk is a little wobbly."

Mrs. Lewis rolls her eyes and sighs, "If you must, Lincoln." Lincoln smirks and grabs all of his stuff and walks to the empty seat by Ronnie Anne. The girl gives no signs of acknowledging his presence, continuing to fill out the packet.

 _"C'mon, Lincoln, you have to say something! Anything!"_ he gulps, "H-Hey Ronnie Anne- what's up?" he says, his hands began to sweat profusely, the immense amount of stress brought on from this conversation made his headache feel even worse.

"What do you want?" Ronnie Anne hisses out at him, Lincoln puts his hands up in there. "Look; I'm sorry, okay? I didn't want to hurt you, I never did, but there are reasons I had to do what I did to you and if you give me five minutes to explain. Then maybe we can be friends again, even if we can never be like before."

Ronnie Anne stares at Lincoln for a moment before speaking, "Fine, you can have five minutes. Come to the baseball field during recess and we can talk," she then glares at him. "Now tell me what you came here for."

Lincoln gulps; this is definitely not going to sound good. "Uh, you want to work together? I'm just not really feeling good right now."

Ronnie Anne rolls her eyes, "Whatever, Lame-o, copy down what eye have then we can get working, but you better not slack off." She quickly hands him her packet and Lincoln begins copying down the information with a slight smile and his body began to settle down. That had gone better than he could have ever expected, with the way things had been going Lincoln had half expected a trip to the nurse with a broken nose.

For once during this terrible day he felt pleased. Hopefully that feeling will stay, even just little while.

* * *

12:00

Luna stood in line waiting to get her lunch, the line is modestly long and she is about in the middle. The sounds of conversation fill the air, along with the smell of California food. Luna herself was participating in much of the conversation at the moment, most of her friends were sitting back at the table.

"You, me, bathroom, **now**." A voice exclaims to Luna from right next to her, she turns her head to see the face of her oldest sister, Lori.

"Alright, dude! You don't gotta yell at me." Lori rolls her eyes, "Just come on." Luna steps out of the line and follows Lori to the bathroom. The small room is completely unoccupied upon Luna and Lori arriving, the two make sure the coast is completely clear before Lori speaks.

"What happened? Where did you and Lincoln go?"

"We're fine, Lori. Linc and I have a place to stay and money to use, and I still have my job. That's all I'm gonna tell you 'cause it's better for you to know nothin' then lying to pops."

"Luna, tell me what the bastard did, please!" Lori nearly screams,her body tremble with rage at the thought of the horrific thing that could have happened.

Luna puts up her hands, "Dude, chill! We hafta' stay quite, we're fine! Pops came home and was drunk off his ass, 'parently he lost big during his gambling and tried to hurt Lincoln-"

"That bastard! Once I get to a phone I'm calling the cops, they'll make sure he never hurts anyone again. You guys can come home-"

"Sis, we both know that's not how it will work out. Foster care is the only option and we both know how bad that can be."

"That's not true, Mom will let us come live with her."

Luna scoffs, "She didn't care about us when she decided to cheat on dad, what makes you think she'll take us now? When she finally has the life she wanted livin' with that rich bloke, I'm not counting on her now or ever, she betrayed us all."

Luna looks into Lori's eyes, "Just...Just let me take care of Linc, it's the only way, you have to see it Lori. I will do my best to make sure he's taken care of, and I expect you'll look out for the others. I don't want to deal with losing any of my sisters after losing mom and dad."

Lori sighs, "Alright...just take care of yourselves, please..." Luna nods, "I will, just make sure you do the same for yourself and others." The two hug and the bell to lunch rings and Luna's eyes widen. "Oh crud! I didn't eat!"

* * *

Lincoln's day had got much better after he made the choice to break the silence between him and Ronnie Anne, nobody messed with him as long as he was with Ronnie Anne, and it finally seemed as if someone is on his side, or they just don't want to make his life completely miserable.

Lunch had gone buy without incident, he actually got to eat without having to deal with Chandler and his punk friends messing with him for no reason, and for once his food wasn't ruined and he was able to eat. Mostly because Chandler knew better than to mess with Ronnie Anne, and most of his buddies knew the same thing.

Lincoln felt completely ready to spill his guts and tell Ronnie Anne exactly what is going on, actually having to talk to her again made him much more comfortable with telling her what has been going on in his own life.

The boy stayed by home base waiting for Ronnie Anne, who had gone to the bathroom at the end of lunch. A small bit of doubt existed within him, the worry she decided he wasn't worth even talking to made Lincoln feel nervous.

Five minutes later, Lincoln saw Ronnie Anne walking towards him and a smile sprung to his lips: she didn't bail on him!

"Alright, Lame-o, explain yourself."

Lincoln closes his eyes and breathes out, "You know what happened to my parents, right?" Ronnie Anne nods, "My dad...he changed, he drinks every single night and he beats me and my sisters." Ronnie Anne's eyes widened, clearly not expecting that answer.

Lincoln continued, "Ever since the divorce, he goes to gamble and drink every night. He sold all of our things just so he could have more money to buy drinks for himself. If any one f us does something to displease him he beats us with a bat or whips us with a belt. I always got the worst of it since I always took the blame for whenever one of my sisters messed up. I almost didn't make it out alive last time since he tried to-"

"Woah, woah, woah, slow down!" Ronnie Anne cut him off. "You mean to tell me that ever since the divorce you and your sisters have been abused by your father?! She asked in shock and fury. Lincoln nodded. "What, why, how come you never bothered to tell me this until now?!" She yelled, struggling to take it all in.

"I didn't want to, but I was forced to break up with you because I didn't want you get hurt. I was even forced to stop being friends with Clyde because I was afraid of what my dad could do to him. I honestly didn't want to break up with you but I didn't have a choice. Lori and Luna had to do same thing." Lincoln explained.

"I-I can't believe this, I'm calling the police." Ronnie Anne declared as she took out her phone.

"Wait No!" Lincoln yelled as he grabbed her phone, trying to take it from her but she held tightly onto it. "You can't call the police! It won't solve anything!" He tried to tell her.

"What do you mean? How will it make things worse?" Ronnie Anne asked as she tried to take her phone back.

"He might hurt one of my sisters, and if the police get involved they'll just put is into foster care and we'll all get separated." He said. Ronnie Anne stopped tugging on her phone, taking this into consideration. She then took it and put it back into her pocket.

"Okay, I won't call the police. But what else are you supposed to do? You can't stay there." Lincoln sighed, "Don't worry, we're not staying there anymore. Luna and I ran away after he tried to...strangle me the other day." Lincoln shuddered at the memory.

Ronnie Anne's fists clenched as she fumed at the thought that Lincoln was almost killed by his own father. All this time, she thought Lincoln was just some jerk who didn't deserve her time after he suddenly broke up with her without any reason. But now she saw that he was forced to do it, it also explained why Lori had suddenly broken up with Bobby and completely broke his heart. She had to do something to help him.

"So, if your not staying with your dad, then where are you living at? How is Luna able to take care of you?" She asked.

"Don't worry. Sam gave her some money after Luna told her everything that's happened. We're currently staying at an apartment. And Luna still has her job so she should be able to support us both until we can find a way to help the rest of my sisters." Lincoln explained.

"Still, there has to be some way I can help you. There's no way I'm letting your dad get away with any of this." She sternly told him as she folded her arms. Lincoln sighed, "I honestly don't know what you can do. I just knew it would make things easier if I told you the truth." He said and started walking back to the school.

"That's it?" She spoke up.

"Hm?" Lincoln wondered turning back to her. "You're just gonna hang loose until all of this blows over? Your dad has been mistreating you and your sisters for almost a year, that's not something I'm just gonna forget about. What will Clyde say if he finds out?" She asked him.

Lincoln turned away. "Hopefully it won't get to that. I don't want too many people to know about this. You have know idea how hard it was for me just to get enough courage to tell you about it." Lincoln admitted.

"But still, how are you gonna help the rest of your sisters? You said it yourself that your dad tried to kill you." Ronnie Anne reminded him.

"We're gonna do the best that we can hopefully we won't cross paths with our dad again. If we do, it'll be the end for both me and Luna. You can keep this a secret right? Lincoln asked her as she nodded. "Alright, I'll see you later." He said and started to walk away.

Ronnie Anne watched him as he walked back to the school. She didn't know what to think. Lincoln and his sisters were being abused by their dad and he was almost killed. He was lucky enough to escape with Luna before the unthinkable happened. And if he or Luna ever saw their dad again...she didn't want to imagine what could happen. With no choice she decided to follow him back to the school. This was not how she expected her day to go.

* * *

4:00

* * *

Lincoln wasn't sure how his conversation with Ronnie Anne would go, but he felt as if a ton of weight was lifted off of him. As he walked with Luna to her workplace, he told about what happened between them.

"You told her everything?" Luna asked. "Yeah, I figured she deserved to know after all that's happened." Lincoln responded wit a relieved smile. "Well, I'm glad you two were able to make up." She replied once they arrived at her workplace.

"Alright, so you can just follow me around or find some place to chill. Is that cool?"

Lincoln nods, "Lets go in." The brother and sister go in and immediately the guy at the front desk takes notice. "Luna? What are you doing here? Didn't you get the message we sent?"

Luna looks confused, "What message, Travis?" Travis gulps. "You've been laid off, I'm sorry."

"LAID OFF?"

* * *

 **A?N To Be Continued...**


	8. Chapter 8

On Our Own Here We Go

Making Amends Part 2

Laid off. Luna couldn't believe it. All her hopes had completely gone down the drain the moment she heard those two words. Her job was the only hope she had left of supporting herself and Lincoln. Currently, they were sitting on the curb of her old workplace, pondering what to do next.

"I don't believe it bro. I'm not sure what we can do now." Luna said.

"Don't give up yet Luna, you still have that money Sam gave you." Lincoln reminded her. "Yeah, but it won't help us forever. If I don't find another job soon, I don't know what we can do." Luna stated.

"Why don't we go back to the apartment? Maybe we'll figure something out there." Lincoln suggested as he stood up. Luna decided he was right, it was late in the afternoon and it was best that they head home for now. She still had enough money to buy a pizza for dinner.

* * *

"You really saw her? How is she? Is she okay? Did you ask her about Lincoln?" Luan frantically asked Lori. "They're fine Luan. Luna's taking care of Lincoln just fine, we don't have to worry about anything." Lori reassured her, making Luan and the rest of her sisters breathe a sigh of relief while they walked home from school.

"I wish I could've known Lincoln was at school today.I want to ask him where he and Luna are staying so we can see them again." Lynn said. "You know we can't do that. Dad would come out to find us if he ever found out we weren't home. And you know how bad those consequences could be." Lucy warned. The Loud sisters didn't want to admit it, but she was right. The last thing they wanted was another brutal beating from Lynn Sr.

"I also want to know what caused them to runaway that night." Lana stated. "Luna didn't say much, just that **he** tried to hurt Lincoln before they ran away." Lori explained when they reached their house. The all exchanged fearful looks as they prepared to enter what was once known as the Loud house. Only to meet a now drunk and heartless father.

* * *

The next day, Lincoln was walking down the hall at his school. So far, things were going okay. He and Ronnie Anne were officially on good terms again, but he knew that she couldn't stand the thought that the rest of his sisters were left in the care of an abusive father, and that she was forced to stay out of it. Lincoln couldn't help but think of the sisters they left behind. Luna had told him about her encounter with Lori yesterday and how worried she was for them.

"Laid off? As if things weren't bad enough for you two already." Ronnie Anne stated as he explained yesterday's events to her. "Yeah, Luna's pretty upset. She won't be able to support us if she doesn't find another job. And I don't think she'll be getting her old one back anytime soon." Lincoln stated.

Ronnie Anne tried to think of way to help when she got an idea. "Hey, how about you two stop by the grocery store where Bobby works? I bet he can find a job for Luna." She suggested. Lincoln felt delighted at that news. "That's great, that'll help Luna for sure. Thanks Ronnie Anne." Lincoln, said going as far as to hug her. They both blushed, not realizing that they hadn't that since they were eleven, and even then it was a rare occurrence. "Alright, don't get soft on me lame-o. See you in class." Ronnie Anne waved goodbye as she walked ahead of him.

Lincoln watched her leave before following. He was glad he finally opened up to her. He no longer had his father to control his life and he didn't have anything to hide from her. Having her back in his life meant the world to him. But before he could ponder about it anymore, he accidentally bumped into someone and was knocked down. He quickly looked up to see someone whom he hadn't hung out with in a long time.

Laying in front of him was none other than his former best friend Clyde Mcbride, who seemed just as shocked to see Lincoln. The two boys stared at each other awkwardly, not sure what to say. Remembering how he decided to make amends with Ronnie Anne, Lincoln thought he could try and do the same with Clyde.

"Hey Clyde." He started. "H-Hey Lincoln..." Clyde responded avoiding his gaze. "How's it going?" "Okay I guess." Clyde replied, still avoiding eye contact when he finally stood up. "Well, bye." He said and walked as fast as he could away from his former friend. "See you later." Lincoln called after him with a disappointed look. sad that he didn't get to say much to him.

Clyde didn't expect to run into Lincoln today, he was surprised the white haired child actually bothered to say hello to him. Ever since Lincoln told him they couldn't be friends anymore, the two rarely saw one another. They would usually just glance at one another if they saw each other in the hallway at school around town, and quickly moved on. Memories kept flowing in his mind about the day that ended their brotherly relationship. When Lincoln told him he didn't want to be friends anymore, the boy was so torn that even a session with Dr. Lopez wouldn't be able to help him feel better.

He always thought he was the cause of Lincoln breaking things off with him, that maybe he did something to upset him. So he spent months trying to remember what he could've done wrong, but no matter what, he just couldn't find an explanation. Instead, he only found something more confusing.

Lincoln didn't give Clyde any reason as to why they should stop being friends, and if it was because of something that Clyde did, Lincoln wasn't one hold a grudge, especially for this long. But the first thing he figured out was that the whole thing happened shortly after Lincoln's parents divorced, which might also be the cause of everything. The next thing he was that he had not only stopped associating with him, but also Ronnie Anne. He also found out that his sisters were breaking up with their friends as well.

Lucy had broken up with Haiku, Lynn had broken up with Polly, Luan had broken up with Giggles, Luna had broken up with Sam and Tabby, and the list went on. What was even more surprising was that Lori had actually broken up with Bobby as well. He didn't know whether to feel happy or shocked. He had always waited for that day to come true but even he had to admit that those two seemed inseparable.

And strangely, shortly after he and Lincoln stopped hanging out, Clyde picked up on something no one else seemed to notice. Lincoln began getting visible bruises on his body. He would show up to school looking bruised and beaten up. Once he actually came to class with a black eye, which only made Clyde worry even more curious as to what was going on. But after finally accepting that Lincoln wanted nothing more to do with him, Clyde gave up on trying to figure out what changed everything and decided to move on and just avoid the person who was once his best friend.

But once school was over another thought came to him. What if deep down Lincoln still cared about him? Considering the fact that he tried to start conversation with the nerdy boy, maybe he was remembering the good times they had together. What if he actually wanted to be friends again? Clyde tried not to get his hopes up as his dad's picked him up from school. He tried to get his mind off the subject by reading one of his Ace-Savvy comics. He and his dad's wouldn't be going home just yet since they had to make a trip to the grocery store first. That might take his mind off things.

* * *

"You know we really can't thank you enough Ronnie Anne." Lincoln said as he, Luna, and Ronnie Anne entered the grocery store Bobby worked at. "Yeah we definitely owe you." Luna agreed.

"Save it Luna, it's the least I can do. I already told Bobby that you're coming in for a job interview, so hopefully he can hook you up." Ronnie Anne said. At that moment, her older brother approached them. "Hey Luna, little Loud, it's been a while since I've seen you two. How have you been?" He asked them, cheerful as ever. Lincoln and Luna exchanged a stumped look. "Uh, we've been as great as we can be." Lincoln answered. "Well, it's nice to see you two. Why don't follow me Luna, your job interview can begin now." Bobby said as he led Luna away.

"So, what we should we do now?" Ronnie Anne asked as she and Lincoln wondered around the store. "Well, I thought while we waited I pick pick up some old zombie bran." Lincoln replied. "Well, I think head over to the arcade that's nearby. You should join me when you're done." Ronnie Anne suggested. "Sure thing." Lincoln said as the two went their separate ways.

Lincoln approached the aisle that held all the cereal. It took him back to the time he tried to save up enough money to buy hos pwn box of cereal before everything went hectic with his sisters. It was one of the fonder memories he had before the divorce. But he decided not to think about that. He grabbed the cereal and was about to walk down the next aisle when he saw someone who he immediately recognized. It was none other than his best friend Clyde Mcbride.

He quickly hid behind the corners of the shelf to avoid being seen, debating on what to do next. He could either just leave him alone or try to be friends again. He was leaning more towards the second option, seeing as he had already gotten Ronnie Anne back and he wanted to do the same with Clyde. But since Clyde tried to avoid him as quick as possible the last time they crossed paths made Lincoln nervous about telling him what had been happening since his parents divorced.

After a moment, he decided it was now or never. So he slowly walked up to Clyde, who still hadn't noticed his presence. "Hey Clyde." He greeted from behind him. "Ah!" Clyde jumped, startled. "Whoa relax, it's just me." Lincoln said, holding his hands out in front of him to calm him down.

"Oh uh, hey Lincoln." Clyde replied. Deep down, j=he was confused as to why Lincoln bothered talking to him again, and what he was even doing here. But was also happy that his old friend was being more social to him after all this time. But he decided to cross his arms and turn away to make Lincoln thing he was still upset about him ending their friendship.

"So, what are you doing here?" He asked in a pouting tone. "Look Clyde, I came here to say I'm sorry that I told you we couldn't be friends anymore. And now I want to tell you why I did it." Lincoln told him.

"So why have you waited until now to finally tell me?" Clyde asked, not changing his attitude.

"Because before I was afraid to." "Why's that?" Clyde asked. So Lincoln took this moment to explain everything that had occurred in his household ever since the day his parents divorced and his mother left him. Clyde listened intently, not sure whether his horrific story was true or not. But as Lincoln went on, it all started to make sense. The bruises, breaking up with their friends, Lori breaking up with Bobby. Clyde never imagined it was all because of Lynn Sr.

"So now Luna and I are living together until we can find a way to help the rest of my sisters. So I figured now was the best time to tell you." Lincoln finished, looking up to meet a speechless Clyde. He decided to continue. "Clyde I'm sorry I hurt you. I know I can't change the way things are now between us, but I hope that maybe one day we can-" before Lincoln was able to finish his sentence, Clyde hugged him, much to his surprise.

"Lincoln, you should have told me this a long time ago!" Clyde said as he hugged his friend. "I'm not mad at all for what you did, I just wanted to know why you did it! I thought I was the reason you wanted to stop being friends. If you had told me this sooner I could've helped you, why didn't you tell me any of this?" Clyde asked and finally let go of Lincoln. He was still grabbing him by the shoulders, looking him straight in the eyes for an answer.

"I' sorry Clyde, I was scared. I didn't know what my dad could do if we kept hanging out. I didn't want to cause any trouble for you, me, or any of my sisters." Lincoln explained. Clyde felt terrible for what had become of his friend. He finally let go of Lincoln. "Thanks for telling me." He said, grateful. At that moment, Lincoln held out his fist, and Clyde held out his own. And a fist bump was all they needed to officially recognize that their strained friendship was behind them. "Well, this just got super cheesy." They heard someone say.

The two boys looked to see Ronnie Anne, Luna, and Bobby standing behind them. "How long have you guys been standing there?" Lincoln questioned. "About a minute." Bobby replied. "So, how did it go?" Lincoln asked Luna. Luna smiled in delight and hugged her little bro. "I got the job Linc! It looks like things are finally looking up for us." She told him. Lincoln was ecstatic. "Great! Now you have a way to support us until we can help our sisters." Lincoln cheered. "Wait what's wrong with your sisters?" Bobby wondered.

They realized Bobby wasn't around to hear that part of Lincoln and Clyde's discussion. "Ugh! Nothing Bobby, the good news is you helped Luna get a job, so I think you should get back to work." Ronnie Anne quickly said, pushing Bobby away. "I'm glad you dudes are finally on good terms again." Luna said with a relieved smile. "Yeah, you were right, I guess things really are looking up for us." Lincoln said.

Ronnie Anne looked to see Bobby as he continued working. "I wish it could be the same for Bobby." She said, making them turn to her. "He hasn't really been to same since Lori broke up with him has he?" Luna asked. "Well, he's been better lately. I just hope by the end of all this things can go back to normal for all of us. Now what do you say we hit that arcade?" Ronnie Anne asked them. "I think the arcade is a great place to catch up with each other." Clyde said. And so, the three friends spent the rest of their night at Gus' Games and Grub. Hanging out just like they used to, as if nothing bad between them had ever occurred.

 **A/N**

 **And here's the long awaited chapter you all deserve. Since this story's been around for about a year now, I want to thank all of you who have stuck with me so far with this. This story is always in the back of my head and I want to apologize for not taking the time hurry and post this. I want to assure you all, I finally have the end of this story figured out and I won't stop until it's over. Luckily, I've finally organized a new schedule for myself to find time to work on this. So I hope you all are still looking forward to what I have planned. But anyway, Clyde is here! And I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I did writing it. And with that, hopefully I'll see you soon.**

 **Don't forget to leave a review!**


	9. Chapter 9

On Our Own Here We Go

Inner Rage

Lynn Sr. was once a happy go lucky father, most of the time. Ever since he fell in love with Rita and had the joy of having so many children to raise with her, nothing in the world could possibly bring him down. But all of that changed when Rita had cheated on him. He thought the love he and Rita shared was unbreakable, but no one could've expected that Rita would abandon him and his kids for someone more wealthy. Such an act drove him into a deep depression, til the point he thought he could end it all by just taking that one small drink, only making everyone's lives worse.

Now, he only saw his kids as mistakes, and only used them to let out his anger. But Lincoln was the worst of them. Lynn Sr. only saw the child has bad luck, blaming him for all the misfortunes that had befallen the man. In his eyes, it made sense that the one boy was the main troublemaker in the family. Whenever it seemed like one of his daughters had done something wrong and were about to suffer a beating from the drunk man, Lincoln always interfered and confessed that he was the one responsible.

But Luna was no better. He would've finally killed the boy if she hadn't interfered. If he ever saw those two again, nothing would stop him from finishing what he'd attempted to do to Lincoln. He promised them that on the night they ran away. This hate was building up inside him, and he lazily came to the solution that if he wanted to end the feeling, he'd just have to kill his son and daughter. But mainly the nuisance Lincoln.

Currently he was sitting on the couch with an empty bottle in his hand, watching T.V. He was thinking about how he could possibly find the two kids when he heard the front door open. He knew that meant his daughters were home from school, but he wasn't in the mood to deal with them right now. Realizing they were in the same room with their drunk father, the Loud sisters hurried to their rooms.

* * *

The Next Day

Lincoln was walking down the hall at school. He had spent the first part of the day hanging out with Clyde and Ronnie Anne. It seemed like things were finally going back to normal for him. But there was still one person who was keeping things from going his way. He was snapped out of his thoughts when said person tripped him, causing him to fall flat on his face.

Chandler laughed. "Nice to see you again loser. I see you've been hanging out with those lame friends of yours." He teased, making Lincoln glare. "What do you want Chandler?" Lincoln demanded, wanting to get things over with. "I'm just here to give you another bad day. Cause it'll just be boring to see you run back to your punk sister like a baby later." He taunted, making Lincoln's eyes widen.

"How do you know about me and Luna?" He asked. "Are you kidding? She's always there to drop you off and pick you up from school. And don't think I haven't seen you two hanging out around town. It's almost like she's your mom instead of your sister or something. Where is your mom anyway? Oh wait that's right, she left you after she divorced your dad, so you basically don't even have a mom." Chandler mocked him.

That last statement pushed all the wrong kinds of buttons on Lincoln. He stared stared straight at Chandler in the eyes with a cold glare on his face. "Take. That. Back." He icily said with his fists clenched. "Whatch'ya gonna do Loud?" Chandler snickered before turning and walking away. "You don't have the guts to stick up for yourself." He stated before disappearing from Lincoln's sight.

Lincoln sighed, upset to admit that it was true. It was times like these that he wished he could be more like Ronnie Anne or Lynn Jr. To never be afraid to stand up for himself and finally put an end to all the bullying someone like him didn't deserve. But the more he thought about, it was probably a good thing he never lost control of himself when it came to Chandler. It might not end well for him and Luna. The principal probably would've called his dad and they would get sent right back to the house of a mad man who wanted him dead.

But still, there came a voice in his head encouraging him to let his emotions loose. That meant attacking Chandler. It was strange, the voice in his head, it sounded like an actual person was talking to him. "Why didn't you do anything? Chandler is right, you don't have the guts to do anything to help yourself." The voice said.

"What do you mean?" Lincoln thought. "Are you really just gonna keep relying on your sister to help you? Your father would've killed you if she hadn't been there. When are you finally gonna grow a spine and stick up for yourself?" The voice said in a mocking tone.

"I must be going crazy. Hearing voices in my head." Lincoln assumed. "I'm more than just a voice Lincoln. You may call me Alex." The voice continued. "Alex?" Lincoln repeated. "Yes, I am the hatred you hold towards your father. I'm here to help your anger take control so you can finally end the pain we've suffered together. All the abuse we've had to endure. Don't you want to take revenge on your father?" Alex asked.

Lincoln thought about this before responding in his mind. "Yeah, I have actually. But how could I take revenge on him? I can't even stand up to Chandler, how can I stand up to my abusive dad? You said it yourself that he would have killed me if Luna hadn't been there." Lincoln pointed out.

"True. But you don't fight back because you don't believe you can. Let your inner rage fuel your strength Lincoln. There's so much you can do with it." Alex said. "That just sounds creepy." Lincoln said when someone called out his name.

"Lincoln!" He heard a familiar voice say. "Looks like we have company." Alex said before his voice faded away from Lincoln's mind. Lincoln turned around to see his sister Lynn Jr. running up to him with a look of joy and relief on her face.

"Lynn!" Lincoln exclaimed with a smile as he held his arms out. The two embraced each other in a hug. "I'm so glad you're okay!" Lynn said when they finally pulled apart. "I've been worried about you and Luna since the day you ran away. How have you been? What did _he_ do to you?" She quickly asked.

"Whoa, slow down Lynn. Everything's fine." Lincoln assured her. "We've been doing better since we left. But how are you and the others doing?" He asked in concern. "Well, he hasn't hurt any of us since you left. Which is good, but how are you doing? Lori told us you've found a place to stay with Luna, but that's all I know." Lynn said.

"I already told you Lynn, everything is fine. Luna and I are staying at an apartment and she has a new job to support us both." Lincoln said. "Well, still, me and everyone else still miss you, can't we find a time where we can all meet up again?" She asked.

"You mean like a reunion? Sure, why not? Why don't we meet up tomorrow in the park?" Lincoln suggested. "That sounds great. I'll tell everyone once I get home." Lynn said when the bell rang. "Well, sounds like we're late for class, I'll see you tomorrow Lynn." Lincoln said, giving her one last hug. And with that, they ran to their last classes of before the school day ended.

* * *

As for the rest of the sisters, it was a normal day for them, coming back home. For Leni Loud, every day seemed to be the same. Go to school, come home, or on some days, spend her afternoon at her job at the mall. If she had to be honest, she would rather be there than at home, because it meant she would have to be near her father.  
Now, she never understood why her siblings all referred to Lynn Sr. as **him** instead of their dad. She did know that by now he didn't exactly deserve to be called that. After all, real fathers didn't sell their kids' most valued belongings for gambling money.

Yes, she was still upset that he sold the supplies she used for fashion designing. But she knew better than to do something about it. Thus, she often found herself with nothing to do, but sometimes, she would sit up in the attic, gazing at old photos of her and her family. These days, she would reminisce about what their lives were like before their mother left them. She would do anything to go back to the good old days. She just couldn't understand why their lives had gotten so bad.

She once asked Lori if she could do anything in her power to stop this. After all, Lori was eighteen now, she could leave the family if she wanted to. But, as Lori explained to her over and over again, she couldn't leave if she wanted to. Sure, she had her job at Gus' Games and Grub, but she didn't have nearly enough money to move out find an apartment and support every single one of her siblings. Leni understood however, Lori could only do her best to protect her siblings from their father, and that was by staying at the house with them.

She looked up to see Lucy entering the attic. "Hm, I didn't expect to find you up here. I never took you to be someone who would hide in dark places." She said as she approached a box on the far side of the room.

"I'm just here to look at some old photos, like, it reminds me of the way things used to be you know?" Leni asked, staring at the picture they had given to their parents for an anniversary gift. "Besides, I know hiding in the dark is supposed to be your thing." She added.

"It is. But now, I come up here to continue my original hobby." Lucy said, opening the box that sat near her, pulling a notebook out of it. "When I saw _he_ was beginning to sell our most valued items, I took this notebook and hid it here in the attic. I've been using it to write poems ever since he sold my poetry book." She explained as she let her pencil flow through the notebook. "Huh, I wish I had thought of that." Leni sighed.

For Lucy, she should be used to the feeling of despair. Before the divorce, she always seemed to be depressed about something little. But now, she really had something to be depressed about. The only light in her family's life was gone, and she could feel the darkness that remained in their household. When her father had first come home drunk that night, she knew it wasn't the same person she had known her whole life. No, the person who entered the house was a stranger, and she could feel the danger emitting from him.

Her fears were confirmed when Lori asked if he was okay. Not getting an answer, Lucy remembered how Lori attempted to lead him to his room to put him to bed, but her father did the unthinkable. He slapped Lori clear across the face, _hard._ Lucy quickly fled to the vents, not wanting to be present in such a scene. She spent the rest of that night in the attic, covering her ears to block out the harsh words Lynn Sr. had shouted at her siblings that night.

All she had now to comfort her was her spare notebook. She had already written about a poem of Luna and Lincoln leaving. She missed her brother dearly, she wished she could've done more before he disappeared from the house that night. But she was just a little kid. There was nothing she could've done to help him and Luna that night.

* * *

For Luan Loud, she was once the most joyful of the family. Always finding something to laugh about. She remembered moments where she would share a pun with her father. Those were the days where 'laughter was the best medicine'. But not anymore. Lynn Sr. was as cruel to her as he was with the rest of her siblings. She missed having Luna with her. She had the whole room to herself since Luna and Lincoln had left.

It was one of the nights where she had cried herself to sleep. She wished she could've noticed Luna sneaking out of the room that night. But then, Lincoln may not have been able to be alive right now, as far as she knew to what occurred that night.

Currently she was writing down on a piece of paper. Not many knew that she did this, because if they did, they would probably persuade her to stop doing it. She attempted to write a letter to her mother begging her to come back to their family. They needed her now more than ever. But one letter after another, she quickly crumpled it up and threw it in the trash bin near her. If she could just be convincing enough, maybe it would bring Rita back. Thus, she continued writing a new letter.

 _"Dear Mom, I know we haven't heard from each other in a while but it would mean everything to me if you came back home. Things haven't been the same since you left. We need you to take care of us and help take us to a better home. I'm sorry if we drove you away but we..."_

Luan crumpled up the letter and threw it in the trash. A letter like that was never going to work. But still, she started over again and continued writing. Maybe this time she'd get it right.

For Lana and Lola, things weren't too different. They were only seven years old now, and they missed their mother greatly. Lana kept planning to run away and find her, but she knew that would never work, she didn't even know where she lived. It was times like these where she desperately missed Hops and Izzy. She hoped that wherever _he_ had taken them when he walked out of the house with them, they were safe and happy.

But recently, she was beginning to miss something else more, and that was Lincoln and Luna. She almost envied them, they were able to get away from this nightmare they called home. She wished she could have been there to run away with them. Because wherever they were now, they sounded happy from what Lori told them.

For Lola, she was much more different than the way she used to be. She wasn't as stuck up as she once was before the divorce. If there was one good thing that came out of this, it was that she learned that sometimes, life just wasn't fair. Unfortunately, she was learning it the hard way with Lynn Sr.'s actions. She had the nerve to talk back to him in her bratty little way when he began taking her makeup and beauty supplies out of her room to sell them. And he had really crossed a line when he dared to take her precious tiaras out of the glass case she kept them in.

And so, Lola was the first one Lynn Sr. had used the belt on, and Lola always did her best to avoid him when he was around after that. But she could still remember the night when everyone was around to have dinner together. While everyone was carrying their plates to the sink she had clumsily dropped her plate to the floor, and everyone could only watch as it shattered to pieces.

Unfortunately, Lynn Sr. was in another bad mood that night. He hadn't seen who had dropped the plate, but he didn't need to be a genius to figure out it was Lola. But before he could lay a hand on her, the unexpected happened. Lincoln took the blame. Everyone was shocked that Lincoln had done such a courageous thing, but still, he was led away to their fathers bedroom to receive whatever punishment Lynn Sr. had in store for him. Lola never forgave herself for allowing such a thing to happen. Lincoln deserved better than that.

As for Lily Loud, she was almost three years old now, and she rarely saw her father these days. Her siblings did everything in their power to keep her away from their monster of a father. And thus, she never experienced anything bad. But still, she could feel that things were off in their family. What happened to her mother? Why did her father always look upset? Why did all her siblings look sad? And where did her favorite blanket go? And why had Lincoln and Luna disappeared? If only she could understand what was really going on around her.

But soon, everyone was gathered in Lori and Leni's room. Lynn had called for an emergency meeting. They hoped it wasn't for anything bad. "I bet you're all wondering why I've called you for this meeting." Lynn began.

The sisters exchanged looks of confusion. "Uh, yeah, otherwise we wouldn't be here." Lola stated.

"Well, it's because I ran into Lincoln earlier today. And we scheduled a date in the park tomorrow where we can all meet up with him and Luna." Lynn announced. The sisters gasped simultaneously, not expecting news like that.

"Wait, really? We can finally see Lincoln again?" Leni asked to be sure. "I can't wait to see how he and Luna are doing!" Lana said with excitement. All the sisters cheered at the news. Lynn could only smile, perhaps things really were looking up for them.

 **A/N**

 **I feel like I've been a bit too cruel to the sisters in this chapter. Oh well, I guess that's how you write a good story. Either way, leave a review to let me know what you think. And thanks again for reading and all the reviews you guys left on the previous chapter. See you next time!**


	10. Chapter 10

On Our Own Here We Go

Pop Pop Takes A Stand

The Royal Woods nursing home was always a peaceful place. At least it was whenever Sue wasn't around. However, one of the senior's staying there wasn't at peace at all. He had something on his mind that had been worrying him for weeks, if not months. Pop Pop, or Albert was never one to worry about much. Whether it was avoiding Sue or watching after his eleven grand kids he was always a rather calm person.

But this situation was different. What was worrying him was the fact that he hadn't seen his daughter, son-in-law, or any of his grandchildren in about a year. Ever since the Loud parents divorced they didn't socialize much with him. Of course, he was extremely disappointed in his daughter for abandoning her husband and kids to run off and marry some billionaire. After that, Albert simply just stopped talking to his daughter, but he knew she didn't care.

He was sad to see his grand kids go through something like this. When Rita gave Lynn Sr. custody of their children, he figured they would all be okay. But the fact that the family hadn't spoken to the old man with him in at least 10 months was really testing his patience. Not just for him, but also for Myrtle. He knew how much she adored his grand kids and saw herself as their grandmother. It broke her heart that they had to watch their parents divorce and desperately wanted to be there for them. And they had been, just a few days after Rita had left, but they hadn't been in contact with them since.

So, Albert finally got enough nerve to visit his daughter after all this time. They needed to have a serious talk that was long overdue. So right now, he was on his way to visit her first instead of his grandchildren. Mainly because he wanted to give her another piece of his mind for what she had done. He wanted to bring her back to Royal Woods to at least visit the kids she left behind. He rode a bus to the city she now lived in, and once he arrived, a black vehicle was there to take him to where she lived since he told her he was coming. Eventually, the car stopped at a large white mansion.

He stepped out to see a large gate that surrounded it. Inside the gate was the mansion itself with a neatly taken care of lawn with fountains and everything. If he didn't know it was the mansion his daughter lived in he may have mistaken it for the White House. The gate opened to let him in he walked down the long walkway until he reached the door of the building. It was opened for him by what appeared to be a maid. So he stepped inside, curious to see just how much his daughter had changed.

* * *

Meanwhile, states away, Lincoln and Luna were walking to the park to visit their sisters. They felt excited, and worried that they would get bombarded with questions about their safety. But they could feel that today was gonna be a good one for them all.

But still, Lincoln had that irritating voice in his head, still trying to talk to him about lashing out at Chandler the next time he saw him. It was like having an argument inside his head. "You're such a coward you know that? If you let me take control no one would ever think to mess with you again." Alex said.

"Alex, I'd rather deal with Chandler's teasing than get sent to the principal's office because you can't control yourself." Lincoln responded in his head. "It's not just Chandler Lincoln, think about your father. Think about how much he hurt you because you were to weak, think about how much he hurt your sisters. I'm preparing you, so you won't let him push us around again." Alex told him.

"That won't happen Alex, because my dad isn't gonna find us." Lincoln stated.

"Keep telling yourself that, we'll see what happens." Alex responded.

"Hey bro, you okay?" Luna asked in concern. Lincoln looked up to face her as the voice vanished. "Uh yeah, I was just...thinking about something." Lincoln attempted to reassure her with a smile.

"Do you want to talk to me about it?" She offered. Lincoln stuttered. "Uh no, it's stupid. Nothing to worry about." He stated. "Okay, I just hope you know you can talk to me if somethings wrong." Luna assured him.

"You know, you've been really concerned about me ever since we left home. How are you holding up? Is there anything bothering you?" Lincoln asked, turning the subject around.

Luna thought about what he said. "Well, I'm holding up well. Despite the fact that Sam completely disappeared off the face of the earth." She stated glumly. "You still haven't heard from her?" Lincoln asked. "No, all I know is that she was pulled out of school, that's it." She responded.

"Why don't you go visit her? Just because she was pulled out of school doesn't mean she moved away right?" Lincoln stated with a hopeful look. "I would, but I've just been really busy lately with my job, school, and you, no offense." She said as they arrived at a bench in the middle of the park.

"You don't have to work overtime Luna. Take some time to worry about yourself instead of me for once. I worry about you to you know." Lincoln said. Luna smiled and rubbed his head affectionately. "Thanks lil' bro."

* * *

The inside of the mansion seemed bigger than it was on the outside. The white tile floors were so clean Albert thought he could see his reflection in them. Above him was a crystal chandelier hanging on the ceiling. There were two staircases on each side of the room leading upwards. In between them hanging up on the wall was a portrait of Rita with her new husband. It almost seemed like a mansion you see in a movie, but it was all too real.

Albert's attention was caught when he saw his daughter walking down the left stairs toward him. And boy did she look different. Her hair was tied into a bun and she was wearing tons of makeup. She was wearing a gold dress with a silk white robe over it. She carried silver purse that was covered in diamonds and was wearing lots of jewelry as well.

She finally reached him where he stood, looking him over. "Hello dad, what brings you here?" She started, sounding like she wanted to get things over with. "Rita..." Albert began, "You know very well that I'm still disappointed in you for leaving your family in such a cruel way. I hardly even recognized you a moment ago. So, do you really feel happy about all this?" He asked her, gesturing to everything around him.

"Dad I know you're upset about the divorce and I admit I had been too...harsh, with the kids the moment I left them but they should be fine. I left them in Lynn's care." She told him. "Well, to me it seems you barely consider them to be your children anymore, do you?" He questioned. Rita only frowned and looked away.

"Rita, I thought your mother and I raised you better than this but I guess I was wrong. All I see in front of me is a selfish woman who would rather have money than family. You should know that your kids need you Rita, so does Lynn. You know how heartbroken he was when you left him." Albert told her.

"Dad, you know I can't go back to them. I'm not in custody of them anymore." Rita explained. "I'm not trying to bring you to live with them Rita, as much as I want to. All I'm asking is that you go visit them. At the very least apologize to them for what you've done." Albert requested.

"...How have they been doing?" Rita asked, almost looking concerned.

"No clue. The last time I saw them was just for a few days after you left. It'll take about a day to get Royal Woods, so are you coming? Or are you really a heartless person who I have to say I'm disappointed to have as a daughter?" Albert asked, beginning to let out how he really felt about her actions.

Rita hesitated before complying. "Alright. But it'll just be a short visit." She said as she walked out the door. "We'll take the limo." She stated as the maid opened the door for them as they walked outside.

* * *

Lincoln and Luna sat on the bench in silence for a while. But when their siblings arrived, they didn't say anything to one another for a moment. They just stared right back at them in silence. Lincoln decided to break it by greeting them with a wave. "Hey guys, it's been a while." He began with a smile.

"Lincoln! Luna!" They all shouted in joy simultaneously, wrapping them in a group hug. Lori and Lynn were the only ones who weren't in tears, having seen them already days before.

Leni was a blubbering mess of sadness and joy. "Lincoln I'm sorry! I heard what was happening in your room that night and I wanted to help you but I was just too scared!" She yelled so fast nobody could understand her as she squeezed her only brother. Luna on the other hand, was being smothered by Luan. "I've been so worried about you since you left! I had no idea if you were okay or why you left and I wish I could've been there with you!" She cried.

"I missed you to sis." Luna said when Luan finally let go of her only for the younger ones to jump them. "I'm just so glad to see you two are okay..." Lola said with more emotion than ever. "Yeah but next time, try not to leave us behind will you?" Lana requested. "I'm glad to see you haven't changed at all Lana." Lincoln laughed.

Eventually, Lisa and Lily approached. "I myself must say, I have never been more delighted to see you two remain unharmed, the house has not been the same without you." Lisa stated. However, she was surprised when Lincoln hugged her affectionately. "Well, I hope you know I missed you to Lisa." He said. And if they had payed close attention to her, they would have seen Lisa shed a single tear in sadness, but also relief that she was finally with her only brother again.

And last, the youngest of the siblings sat in between the two on the bench. Lily may have been young, but she just had to muster up enough strength to say to her brother what she had been wanting to for a long time now. "I mizzed you..Linkin." She said as she hugged him. And everyone couldn't help but smile sweetly at the sight.

But there was someone who stood away from the crowd that only Lincoln noticed. He hopped off the bench as everyone conversed with Luna. "Lucy? Are you okay?" He asked his gothic sister. "I just, I don't do well in emotional situations." She stated as she turned away from him, holding her arms and hugging herself.

Lincoln saw right through her however. "Lucy, if there's something wrong, you don't have to act like you're okay." He assured her. "There's nothing wrong, it's just, if I really let out how I feel about what's happened, it's only gonna hurt." She said as her voice cracked slightly. "Well, then if it does, I'll be here for you." He assured her.

After that, Lucy finally broke down in tears, crying hysterically as she ran into Lincoln's arms. "It's just...I missed you so much Lincoln!" She yelled as Lincoln hugged her back. "I heard what dad was doing to you that night and I thought I wasn't gonna see you again!" She admitted. "It's okay Lucy, just let it out." He told her.

And so, they all stayed there for the rest of the afternoon, catching up on what they had missed since the night Lincoln and Luna left. And for a moment, it almost seemed like things were normal. That there was nothing to worry about. They were what they were before any divorce or tragedy happened. And they wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

 **A/N**

 **I bet you thought I had forgotten about Rita, but nope. She's just as important to this story as anyone else I've decided to put in it. Anyway, I don't know how well I did with this chapter, so please let me know. Also, last time, someone told me that since Lynn is 14, she should be in high school. That's something that I completely missed so thanks for pointing that out. So, I've decided to come up with what hopefully is a satisfying explanation.**

 **I think all the stress from the divorce and abuse from Lynn Sr. had taken a toll on Lynn, and affected the progress in her education, thus, causing her to be held back a year. I know it's sad, but I hope it explains enough. And with that, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and that I delivered it well, so if you want, leave a review to let me know what you think. It really helps!**


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